Contests
by KunoichiOfDaLeaf
Summary: When the countries prince is old enough to marry, a grand contest takes place. The prize being, the prince's hand in marriage. Rin Kagamine, a girl who hates her monarchy with a passion, somehow gets mixed up in it. She has Miku to thank for that. Yep, the blue-haired girl wasn't going to eat Leeks for a month.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi people! This is my first Vocaloid story! It's inspired my The Selection series by Kiera Cass. Read and Review**

* * *

I was finally getting it! Yep. I had passed my driving test. Now I just needed to get my license. I giddily walked over to city hall with Miku. She had gotten her driving license a while ago and was accompanying me to get mine.

"You seem happy" Miku said, grinning.

"Yep! Now I can finally drive! Our stupid monarchy has declared it!" I replied.

Miku rolled her eyes, "why do you hate them so much?"

"Oh, I dunno. Maybe it's because they're all so fake. Have you seen any of their interviews?" I shuddered. "They're too perfect to be humans. I'm telling you Miku, they're robots. Robots!"

She giggled and shook her head, "Surree"

I shrugged, "When everyone finds out the truth, I'll be the first one to say I told you so."

She gave me a look, "Rin. You'll be the only one who tells me that. Besides, it's not going to happen."

We passed by the post office and walked into City Hall. It was teeming with life, as always. I walked over to the receptionist desk. Which was located directly to the left, when you entered. I looked at Miku who wandered over to a chair, right next to the registration area. If you wanted to fill out any applications or forms you would go there.

I turned back to the receptionist and smiled, "Hi, um I'm here for my driving license"

"Rin Kagamine?" she asked, taking out a card from an organized cabinet.

"Yep! That's me." I answered reaching out to grab the card.

She smiled, and handed it to me, "Be sure to drive safe."

I nodded, "of course."

I was about to walk over to Miku, when she stopped me. She looked at me with great interest, "Wait. Is your last name Kagamine?"

I nodded, "Yea…"

She looked surprised, "are you by any chance related to the-"

"No. I'm not." I said cutting her off.

She looked a little disappointed. "Oh! Well, I'm sorry for disturbing you."

I smiled, trying to hide my irritation. "No problem."

Did everyone have to connect me to that person? Last names didn't mean much. I was sure that there were thousands of people with the same last name.

I walked back to Miku who was staring at a TV screen, "what's up?"

She pointed to the TV screen where someone was announcing what seemed to be a contest, "it's that time again! That's right folks! One of our prince's is now old enough to get married! Starting from now, until 9 o'clock tonight, people from all over the country can register themselves to be part of the contest for his hand in marriage. You must be 16 years or older to participate. 50 people will be picked out at random to participate in the contest. The lucky girls will then compete for the prince. There will be 10 rounds. Participants can be disqualified at any time. It's all up to the judge, the prince. The winner will be the new queen of the country!" The announcement ended and the room was in dead silence.

Things like this were big news in the country. It was not often that the stupid contest took place. After a prince reached the age of 18, he would pick out a bride through the contest. It was a disgusting tradition that had been passed down through the years.

Soon people started talking and City Hall was back to normal. Half the girls who were in the hall started lining up to enter their names into a computer in the registration center. Registration for entering the competition opened up immediately after the message. We ended up sitting next to one.

"So are you signing up?" Miku asked.

I shook my head. I wasn't interested in these kinds of competitions. Nope! Especially not if the prize was getting married to the prince.

"Why not?" asked Miku.

I gave Miku a look, as if saying, do I really need to explain it to you. "It's so stupid. Why are a bunch of girls fighting over a man that they've never met?"

Miku nodded slowly, "You've got a point, but isn't it cool? Anyone, no matter what their blood line could end up being the queen!"

"Yes, it's soo cool that a criminal, that just got out of jail could end up being our queen" I said, sarcastically.

Miku frowned, "you're no fun Rin."

I shrugged, "so are you signing up?"

Miku grinned, "Nope! We're signing up."

I chuckled, "good joke Miku, but…" I looked over. She wasn't listening. She had already filled out the online form and entered my name in the contest. I gaped at her, while she was filling out her own. When she was finished, she turned around and saw my expression.

"Chill Rin. It's not like we're going to be picked anyways. Just getting picked to be in the top 50 is rare." She assured me.

I nodded, not really taking in what she was saying. What the heck was Miku thinking?! Was she crazy! Why?! Just why?! I didn't want to be related to that arrogant prince in any way possible!

"Rin? Rin? Rin!" Miku snapped me out of my dilemma. "Calm down. If you do somehow get picked. I won't… eat leeks for a month." She said hesitantly.

I glared at her, "You better pray, that I don't get picked."

She nodded, "I am. I mean…a month without leeks! How can I survive?"

"You wouldn't" I laughed.

She grinned, "finally smiling, huh?"

I wiped it off as immediately as she said that. She frowned. "When do the 'lucky' girls get chosen anyways?" I asked.

"Since, it's all done online, the results should be out tonight on TV, right after it closes." Miku responded.

I cursed, "oh just great! The next…" I looked at my watch. It was currently 5 P.M. "…4 hours of my life could change everything."

Miku laughed, "calm down Rin. Remember what I told you?"

I nodded, "I hope you're right leek lady."

She smiled and started walking out the door, "c'mon, let's grab some food. I'm starving."

I nodded. "I couldn't say no to food."

After buying some oranges and leeks from the supermarket, we made our way home to our apartment. Miku looked at her watch, "Wow…that took way longer than I expected"

"Well, we walked there so of course it took longer" I answered, "what's the time anyways?"

"6 P.M." she said. I gaped. An hours had passed?

"It's a long walk" she shrugged.

I sighed, "I have work to do…"

Miku winced, "project deadlines tomorrow, right?"

I nodded feeling miserable. "Yea, I hoped that I could finish it before 10. It's going to take me all night now." I groaned.

"I'll help you out" Miku said, "I've got nothing to do tonight anyways."

I hugged her, "Miku you're a lifesaver!"

She laughed, "yea, I'm pretty awesome."

We were in our neighborhood now. Our house was just around the corner. I started looking for my keys in my purse. I had thrown them in somewhere. By the time we reached our door, I still hadn't located them. Miku watched, "did you lose them?"

I glared, "you have no trust in me Miku!"

"Well?" she asked.

"Ye-" my hands touched cold metal. I had found them, "Of course not! I have them right here!" I pulled them out grinning.

Miku looked surprised, "you got lucky."

I grinned, "so what?" I unlocked the door and gestured for her to go in. "You first, Ohime-sama"

She grinned and punched me on the shoulder. "You're seriously a daughter of evil Rin."

I bowed, "I pride myself."

We laughed. It was this joke we made up when we were little kids. It had stuck and we never forgot about it.

She went in and I followed after her, locking the door. We both took off our shoes and went to the living room. Miku turned the TV onto the news, where the announcements about the contest were being given.

"Hurry! Only three more hours until registration closes!" the person said. She paused for a second. "Yes, yes, I understand" She turned her attention back on the screen. "Hey folks! I just got news that there's been a small change of things. Instead of only one prize there will be two! Prince Kaito has decided to join! This means instead of 50 candidates, a total of a hundred will be picked. If you already registered, you will automatically be submitted into both contests. May I remind you that they are both separate. When the candidates for the contest will be picked we will first tell you the names of the 50 candidates who will be participating in the contest for Prince Kaito, then we will announce who will be battling for Prince Len's heart.

I sighed, dismissing it. If anything, this message was going to freak me out even more than the contest already was. I picked up my laptop and jumped onto the couch. It was time to finish that stupid project. Miku sat next to me handing me a bowl of peeled oranges. She was munching on a leek. "How much have you gotten done so far?" she asked.

I showed her the three pages of work. I had to finish two more pages of the project to finish. She started reading my paper, editing it here and there. She looked at me after she was finished, "Rin it looks fine. Just make sure the paragraph on, why you think different types of music express different kind of people, a little clearer." She looked at the essay again, "Also, I remember that when I did this, my professor told us to add what was on chapter three and two. The essay should write itself after that"

I raised a brow, "and how remember that?"

She shook her head, "You don't know how much I hated this stupid project. I worked hard on it throughout the night and then our professor didn't even grade it hard. College is confusing"

I laughed, "You worked hard? I dunno Miku…You seem so…so un-"

Miku glared, "don't you dare say it."

"Uneducated" I finished.

She grabbed a pillow and smacked me with it, "mean! I finished all my papers a week ago. At least I didn't procrastinate!"

"Look who's talking?! This is the first time!" I yelled grabbing one to defend myself.

She grinned and stopped. "Anyways, just finish writing it. I'll be bored if I have to watch TV all night."

I nodded, throwing the pillow aside and giving her a thumbs up, "thanks to your tip, I should be done by 9."

Miku smiled, "sweet!" She turned back to the TV and started listening to the news, while I started reading textbook pages. It took me 30 minutes to finish the whole section. I looked at the clock: 6:45. It was still pretty early. I started my paper right away, finishing a little more than two hours later.

"Miku I'm done!" I called.

She had gone into the kitchen to cook dinner. "Just in time" she said walking over with a plate of food.

I took it gratefully and started eating. I looked at the clock. It was 8:55. "The winners will be announced in 5 minutes, right?"

She looked at the clock and nodded, "yep!"

I switched on the TV, changing the channel to the news.

"We're just a few minutes away from announcing the candidates participating in the contest! Get ready girls. It may be your lucky day!" The scene changed to two men. One had messy blue hair, while the other one had blonde hair tied up in a ponytail in the back. Kaito and Len were flashing there 'charming' smiles at the camera. The scene changed back to the host a few minutes later.

"Good luck to all the girls watching this tonight!" the host smiled brightly. "It's time to announce the winners."

Miku and I listened to the names as they called the names of the 50 girls who were fighting for prince Kaito. First the name would come up, along with a picture of how the person looked. It didn't interest me at all, until Miku's name was called. I looked over to see her expression. She stared at the TV, with her jaw dropped, "tell me that isn't true."

"It's true" I told her.

"Bu-wha- I…wow" she managed at last

I laughed "Good luck" I said.

She nodded, "Yea, I'll need it."

I looked at her seriously. "You better win that thing. I'm going to be really angry if you come back six months later without winning anything."

She grinned, "You're going to be so lonely without me"

I didn't say anything, but continued starting at the TV. Miku smiled.

A few more names were called to compete for Kaito. Teto, IA, and Mayu really stood out.

"Time to announce the people competing for Len!" the host called. I groaned. I hated him most of all. Kaito was alright. Unlike the other royals, he wasn't stiff in all his interviews. He didn't always humbly answer every question. He often joked around in his interviews. He was the human among the robot family. Len on the other hand, was too nice. Too humble. Too perfect. Girls in my school would worship every word he uttered. That wasn't normal. No. It wasn't normal at all. If he really wasn't a robot then, he was probably an arrogant, spoiled prince. No one could be that nice.

I listened to the people getting picked, one of them could be me. Random names were called out. Some of the girls were really pretty. Neru, Gumi, and Tei really stood out. I'd probably be rooting for one of them. I smiled. I was basically free! There was only one more name about to be called and that possibly couldn't me. I wasn't that unlucky! I grabbed my cup of orange juice and started drinking it. "Kagamine Rin!" I started chocking on my juice. No way! Please no. Why did life hate me? I closed my eyes and opened them, hoping to see someone else's face on the screen. To my disappointment, I saw myself. I was sure going to hate the next couple of months.


	2. The Very Next Day

**Hello people! Here's chapter 2 of Contests. Me and my friend FlameRuby worked hard on it. She has officially become my beta-reader for this story! **

**Please Review! I love to get your feedback. It encourages me to write more and update more frequently!**

* * *

**FlameRuby wanted to give you guys a message:**

**Hey! Annoy Witch a lot! It's one of my hobbies. Call her short, lazy, perverted, anything offensive will do! That's right!**

**Yeah I'm FlameRuby. I like Nutella. And I'm bad at introductions. Witch is actually a good person, treat her well. I like to ramble. I don't know what to say. **

**Alright so enjoy the story! :3 :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :3**

* * *

"Rin, come on. The limo is here," Miku called out.

Apparently the contest started the very next day! The idiot king was getting on my nerves. Didn't he realize that we all had lives?

On the last day of college, Miku and I received a lot of uncomfortable stares. It was annoying to walk through the halls without getting a lot of embarrassing attention. However, to make up for that, a lot of my friends gave me sweet oranges to cheer up my mood.

Despite the chaotic events that occurred, one thought ran through my head all day: I didn't want to win. Still, I had to admit I liked to receive everyone's support.

We had to rush through everything when we got home. The limo came an after we arrived home. It was pretty inconvenient. To our relief, we made it in time.

I locked our door and ran outside. Since my suitcase was tiny, it wasn't hard to carry it down the stairs. I walked towards the limo and put it in the trunk. We weren't supposed to bring much into the castle, since we were going to be given clothes for the competition. This sucked because I couldn't wear comfy clothes for a while.

I knew this because reruns of the last competition started to show up on TV yesterday. Since we didn't have much to do after dinner, Miku and I decided to see what the competition would be like. To my utmost pleasure. I found out that all the contestants wear is skirts and dresses. Yay… On the bright side, I was allowed to bring my giant orange plushie. This made considerably happier of course. I couldn't live without that thing.

The chauffeur opened the door and gestured for us to go in. As we went in, I realized how rich the inside of the limousine looked like. It felt so spacious. Leather seats curved around the inside of the vehicle. A long glass table extended across the middle. A disco ball circulated at the center of the roof, sending colorful rays around the interior. Music blasted through the speakers and created a festive atmosphere. Miku grinned and said, "This is awesome."

I nodded in agreement while adding this experience to my Top Ten Cool definitely replaced first place, which was a going on a vacation to a theme park nearby. The theme park was actually rated very low nationally, but I had a great time. It was weird to know that the events on my current list would most likely be replaced. Glancing at my blue plastic Diego Watch, I relaxed into the comfy leather seat. "How long will it take to get to the castle?" I asked the chauffeur.

He looked at his silver watch, "It's 4:00 P.M. now. It should take us 30 minutes to get to the airport. After that, you will have a 2 hour flight to the castle."

Miku gave him a big smile, "Thanks!"

The chauffeur blushed faintly and quickly turned his attention back to the road. I looked towards Miku and raised a brow. Miku playfully smiled in return. This girl definitely had a chance in her competition. Kaito would probably be seduced the first day he met her.

I shook my head and searched the huge car for a source of entertainment. A large TV screen at the back of the limo caught my eye. I grabbed the remote from the side of the TV and turned it on with happiness. A video of Miku and I sitting in limo flashed on the screen. I stared blankly at the screen as a reporter blabbed on about us. The whole world was stalking us...just great. I turned to look at Miku who seemed to notice as well. She scooted closer with her mouth hung open. "No way," she mumbled with a distant expression.

"I know," I replied, horrified.

Seriously? I felt like my personal bubble that I've kept since kindergarten had just burst. Sighing in disappointment, I realized that I wasn't going to get any privacy in the next couple of months.

"The whole country is excited! The suitors for each of our king's hands' in marriage are here. Right now, you're seeing Rin Kagamine and Miku Hatsune. It's rare to get picked for the competitions, but these two roommates both got picked for different kings. Aren't they lucky? They both have a chance to become queen and they don't need to spoil their friendship for it. If these girls weren't middle class, I would totally think that this was more than a coincidence!" The reporter said. I stared at her face in irritation. Did she just say that if we were rich, we probably would have bribed people to get in? She had now received a position in my list of people I hated.

Sooner or later, the car started to slow down at the front of the airport. While our chauffeur was taking out our luggage from the back, I stared down at my feet. To get out of here as soon as possible, I had to have a plan. It couldn't look like I purposely failed the rounds, so it must look like I actually tried. My thoughts were soon interrupted as the chauffeur opened our door and smiled, "We have arrived, my ladies."

He walked us to the door where a couple of security guards were waiting for us. One of the security guards motioned for us to follow him as the rest surrounded us. We started to follow them, but stopped when the chauffeur called out his advice.

"Don't pay attention to the hosts and announcers. They're usually paid to put some of the contestants in a negative light. This way the contestants in the upper class are more likely to win. Don't give them the satisfaction that they want." he said.

I smiled. This man was quite nice. "Thanks!" I replied cheerfully.

As went on our way to the plane, I saw a huge mass of people waiting for us. It wasn't hard to guess that they were the paparazzi dying for a picture with us, or kill us.

"Smile," Miku whispered into my ear. I always envied her natural smile and wondered how she could be so easy with people she never knew. Looking back toward the crowd, I put on a smile myself. Even if I wasn't going to win this competition, I wasn't going to make the whole world think I was a asshole.

We waved and got some pictures with people who looked like they were our fans. Most of them wanted pictures with both of us. We didn't really mind. To be truthful, I really enjoyed it.

The guards notified us that it was getting late, when we were in the middle of taking a picture. We said our goodbye's to our fans and hurried onto the plane. I'd never flown first class before so I was looking forward to it.

Miku and I shared an apartment on the plane since we were already closely acquainted. We spent our time looking at the fluffy clouds outside, watching some TV shows, and eating a bunch of delicious food. The plane had its very own on-board chef, so the food was fresh and not like your normal economy class microwaved lunches.

As we were finishing our meals, we laughed over Noragami. Yato was stealing food food from the fridge, while Hiyori and her mom watched. The evil neko face was pretty amusing. I mean who didn't love neko faces? The fact that he copied all of her dad's movements and her mom didn't notice that a bunch of food from the fridge also cracked us up.

After the scene ended, the captain announced, "Hello folks! This is Captain Oliver, your pilot, speaking. We'll be reaching our destination soon. Please put your seatbelts on."

We stopped playing around and put them on. In ten minutes I would be at a place that could change my life forever. I was totally not nervous or anything…Right?


	3. Oliver

**Hey people! Here's chapter 3 of Contests! This chapter was so fun to write. It took a while to get published, though. I'm kinda proud of it.**

**Anyways, I want to thank everyone who followed and Favorited. Special thanks to iloveyugiohGX93, Moonlight queen, Lolly1o1, and Purple Neko for reviewing! It means a lot!**

**Read and Review people. I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

**Flameruby's letter to the public:**

** Did you know elephants are super intelligent creatures? They found out another way to solve a puzzle that the scientists didn't even think of. It's amazing.**

**Yeah, I spent lotsa time on this story. But... Oops was about to say her name, WITCH probably spent the most. So thank her for her not so amazingness. Aww I have homework it's like all the teachers are like, LAST MINUTE HOMEWORK AND A BUNCH OF TESTS BEFORE BREAK. And they make you makeup the work when you go on a field trip, oh the agony. The pain. This is long. Wow. I like it when authors say "Enjoy!" before a story so you feel like you're going to read something good, which is usually good. It makes me happier after a long day. Like this story. It's good.**

**Enjoy the story! I am beautiful chan.**

* * *

"Right this way, ladies," The blonde said.

Captain Oliver had offered to escort us into the castle himself. He didn't look like what I expected him to be. I imagined a middle aged man with graying hair flying the plane. To my surprise, the captain looked about the same age as me. He could have been a little older or younger, I couldn't really tell.

Miku tapped my shoulder. I turned to face her. She leaned close and cupped her hand around my ear, "The captain's kinda hot. Isn't he?"

"Why are you telling me this?" I said, tempted to shove Miku away.

Miku looked exasperated, "I'm surprised that you were born a girl, Rin. Think like a girl for once!" she whispered fiercely.

I sighed and looked over at Oliver. Miku wasn't wrong when she said that he was attractive. His charming smile made me want to smile with him as well. And even if he had bandages around his left eye to block out a part of his face, it made him look cooler. His blonde hair covered his mesmerizing golden eye. His accent was attractive too.

I looked at Miku who was awaiting my answer. "He's hot." I whispered. A smile started forming across Miku's face. "I'm not really interested though," I said, causing Miku to pout.

"Rin!" she complained.

I shrugged and turned my attention to my surroundings. The castle reminded me of Sleeping Beauty's castle, though it looked twice as elegant. I didn't want to admit it, but I absolutely adored its design. The architect who built this enormous castle knew what he or she was doing. They had created a masterpiece.

Oliver watched us gaping in awe. "Nice, is it not?" he asked.

We simultaneously nodded.

He chuckled at our reactions, "You lot are quite like siblings. Both of your reactions are so similar."

Miku grinned and pulled me into a one-armed hug, "This little lamb takes after me. She wouldn't be able to live without me! After all, I'm the number one princess in the world!"

I squirmed away. "That's completely not true!" I smirked as she started to pout, "By the way, I can't live without oranges, Miku. I think I could manage without..." I said.

She glared at me, "Don't you dare…"

"You." I finished.

Miku put a hand on her chest and mocked offense, "You're such a Daughter of Evil, Rin!"

A sinister smile crept up on my lips, "Stop acting like everyone has to do what you ask of them, ohime-sama."

Miku blinked, "Everyone really does have to do what I ask of them though."

I tilted my head and raised a brow, "Oh really?"

Miku grinned, "Why, of course, my little queen."

I shook my head and put my hands on hips. "Princess. You have no authority to talk to me in such a rude manner. You absolutely do not want to be punished, do you?" I said menacingly.

Miku looked horrified and screamed, "Don't take my leeks away!"

I smiled coldly, "As I thought! Now be a good little girl and don't misbehave again."

Miku nodded, "Yes, my queen!"

We glared at each other for a few seconds, before bursting into laughter.

Oliver watched, amused at our little scene, "Would you both care to explain, what that was all about?"

"A story," Miku said mysteriously.

"One that takes place several years ago," I added, using the same tone.

He shook his head, smiling, "Out of all the suitors in this competition, I wonder how I got stuck with you two."

Miku dramatically cast her arm out, "It is destiny!"

"Blame the fates!" I said grinning.

"Sure, I will!" He exclaimed with a wink. "Anyhow, I've been wondering something about you lot. You both seem so close. How long have you pair been roommates?"

"About a semester?" I answered with a little doubt.

Oliver looked surprised, "Really?"

Miku nodded, "Yup!"

"Why?" I questioned.

Oliver shook his head, "It's nothing. I'm just surprised by how close you both are. I thought you knew each other much longer than that."

"Well, that's because we have known each other for more than a semester," Miku explained, while twirling her pigtails with her fingers. "We lived near each other as children, so we would see each other often. After we graduated high school, we both decided to go into the same career path. Once I found out that Rin was going to attend the same college that I was, I called her and we decided to share an apartment."

Oliver nodded, "Oh, okay. That makes sense."

"Mmhm. Oh! Oliver, did you know that Miku was weird as a child? When she was seven, she took out a lot of odd crayfish-like things from a random pond and put them in her bathtub," I said smirking. "You should have seen how her mother reacted."

"Rin, that was confidential information," Miku said while gritting her teeth. However, after a second, she cheerfully said with a teasing smile, "But it's not nearly as confidential as that one time you bumped into that cashier and he fell on top of you. Even better, he accidentally kissed you. Poor Rinny, losing her lips to a stranger!"

"Miku, I'm going to kill you!" I growled, walking over to her.

She yelped and hid behind Oliver who chuckled nervously, "I cannot have a murder on my hands, you two."

"I'll cover it up," I muttered angrily.

"Sorry Rin, but I can't let you do that," he said.

I sighed and crossed my arms, "Fine."

He smiled and continued leading us to our new living quarters. We passed through the castle gates and entered the castle doors. The interior of the castle was just as magnificent as the exterior of the castle. As soon I stepped in, I could feel the enormous amount of space overwhelm me. With golden designs painted like vines, the walls made the lobby feel like a regal jungle. The floor was spotless and was a shade similar to a dark beige; it was perfect for a royal ball. The long curtains hanged on sides of the room were a deep maroon. Expensive furniture was placed across the room in a stylish manner. I thought back to our tiny one room apartment and realized that my comfy little orange painted room would never compare to this.

On our way there, Oliver started to explain the significance of the numerous places in the castle. To my surprise, I found it extremely interesting. Apparently, we had stood in the same place that the first queen danced in. I had also found out that someone was brutally murdered in the guest bathrooms a century ago. I made a mental note never to go in there alone, if I would ever go in there at all.

There were quite a lot of old musical instruments in the castle's private music collection. According to Oliver, it was one of his favorite places to be in the castle. It wasn't hard to see why; Miku and I fell in love with it right away. The room was filled with instruments from every musical instrument group there possibly could be. Ancient-looking pianos, violins, antiquated guitars, microphones, and many instruments and instrumental tools that I couldn't name were neatly placed around the room. In addition to the old musical objects, there were plenty new and fancy instruments. Musical albums from singers from several years ago were displayed in huge glass cases and collections of sheet music were stacked in piles to the side. I felt like I was in a musician's paradise.

Oliver led us into another room once he discovered our interest in music. Like the room before, it didn't disappoint me. However, this room showcased instruments from different countries around the world. With my hands over my mouth, I stared at the instruments in awe. I was tempted to reach over the security tape and snatch a few of them to play. My rational side kept me from doing that and getting arrested.

Each instrument had a silver plaque that told you what it was called and a flag next to it to represent what country it originated from. I walked through the room and read as many names as I could. Finally, when I read a quarter of plaques, Oliver said that it was getting late and we still had a little more to see.

I followed Oliver out of the room with a small frown on my face. When he noticed how dejected I looked, he promised me that he would take me back there the next time he had time. I brightened at that and fist bumped the air.

"Your rooms are just beyond the painting gallery," Oliver said while leading us through the hallways.

The gallery was beautiful. Several different types of paintings from different eras hung on the walls. According to Oliver, some of the paintings dated back to when the kingdom was first established.

I was admiring a painting of a log cabin when Miku called out, "Rin! Doesn't that one look cool?"

I turned to face the painting Miku was looking it at. The painting had a run-down farmhouse with a happy family playing in the fields. My eyes widened in shock and recognition. After all, I was there….

"And then they lived happily ever after." My mother proclaimed.

I giggled, "Again! Again!"

She rolled her eyes playfully, "Again? It's already getting late, sweetness."

"Please Mommy! Please! One more time!" I begged.

She sighed and opened the book once again, "Alright."

"Yay!" I squealed with happiness.

My mom chuckled and began reading the story, "Once upon a time…"

"Rin? Rin? You alright? Rin?" Miku frantically asked.

My eyes slowly opened. I squinted as the sudden intake of light temporarily blinded me. Feeling the cold flat surface underneath me, I turned my head to see that I was laying on the floor. Miku was sitting next to me with her hands firmly held onto my shoulders. Oliver touched my head with the back of his hand to check whether I had a fever. They both had expressions of worry etched on their faces.

"Should we call a doctor?" He said with a concerning voice.

I slowly pushed myself of the floor and shook my head. "N-no," I stuttered. "I'm fine. Sorry for scaring you two."

They didn't seem to believe me, but they said no more on the matter. The rest of the walk to our rooms was quiet. I mentally sighed for ruining the pleasant mood we had before.

The part of the castle that the suitors were staying reminded me of a hotel. Two rows of doors went through the hallways. My room and Miku's room were right across from each other. Oliver explained that the doors on my side were all occupied by people competing for Len, while the doors on Miku's side had occupants who were competing for Kaito.

He informed us that we would have a photoshoot tomorrow. The pictures the kingdom had displayed, when we were picked as contestants were too plain. They had displayed passport pictures or drivers licenses. It was ironic to think that I got mine that same pictures from the photoshoot were supposed to help make the competing ladies look more appealing to the public.

In the process of being informed of our schedule, we also found out that Oliver would be our teacher while we were here at the castle. The skills he would teach us would be beneficial to win the competition. Even though I wasn't going to win, these skills could help me for the future.

"Thanks for the info," Miku said.

"Yeah thanks," I agreed.

Oliver smiled, "You're welcome." He looked at me, "Rin, please tell me if anything unusual happens to you. I am a person you can count on." He turned to Miku "Miku, you as well. You lot can always rely on me."

I gave a big smile, "Thanks, Oliver."

He smiled back, "Not a problem, my ladies," He looked at his watch and cursed. "You will be eating dinner in your rooms tonight. You will also meet your maids tomorrow morning. Sorry for not being able to explain more, but I must run. Good luck to you two," he said before dashing off.

Miku let out a long sigh when he disappeared. "This is going to be a long six months, huh?" she asked.

"It could be shorter," I said. After all, I'd probably be kicked out by round three.

She shook her head and headed for her room, "I think I'll take a nap before dinner. I'm worn out."

I nodded with exhaustion. My muscles were starting to feel sore from walking around the castle all day. "I think I'll do that too." I said while walking in my room.

"Rin?" Miku called.

I turned around with a confused face. Miku wore that worried expression again, "When you're ready, please tell me what all that was about."

I opened my mouth to assure her I would, but no sound came out. I merely nodded and headed in my room. "See you later, Miku," I whispered.

"See you later Rin," She responded.

I closed the door and headed towards my bed. My new room was spacious. Compared to my old bedroom, it was bigger by at least five times. A sectional sofa curved around the middle of the room while an orange floral carpet lay in front of it. An octagonal fish tank coffee table was filled with remotes, vases, and books to read. In front of the coffee table was a black glass TV stand. On the TV stand was a huge plasma screen TV.

I stared at all the unnecessary furniture and walked over to the king sized canopy bed at the end of my room. An expensive looking nightstand stood next to it with a basket of fruit. A note was attached to the basket at the very top. I picked it up and read, 'To the princess staying in this room. I wish you the best of luck.' I shook my head in annoyance and jumped on the bed. The huge bed made me feel as though I were on a warm, fluffy cloud. Sadly, the blissful feeling didn't last long for the fire started quickly...


	4. Hair and Makeup

**Hello! I have returned to give you another chapter of Contests. Before you read this chapter, I would like to inform you that FlameRuby my beta didn't edit this chapter, so there may be mistakes here and there. Sorry! She's busy this week so I didn't want to bother her. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter. **

**Thanks to everyone who followed and favorite. Special thanks to ZanyAnimeGirl, Lolly1o1, and Missy Missy Bounce for reviewing!  
**

* * *

The_ blast of heat was too much to handle. Smoke clogged my lungs making it difficult to breath. I was going to die. I knew it. It was inevitable. The flames were coming closer now. I was surrounded. I would be devoured in no time. I fell to my knees, my body felt weak._**  
**

_"Rin!" A voice called._

_My vision was starting to go blank. I could see black spots. I slowly looked up._

_My mother burst through the door. She pulled me out of the flames and into another room. This one wasn't completely consumed, yet. It was easier to breath here. I was regaining my consciousness._

_I looked around. The flames were catching up to us. They weren't going to let us escape. I tightly clutched my mother's hand. She worriedly glanced at me, before frantically looking around._

_That was when the fear really hit me. I really was going to die now. My mother may have known it too. Tears started forming. My mother knocked on the door. She screamed for help and shook the knob desperately. She hit her side against the door, repeatedly, before it finally broke down. She grabbed my arm and pushed me through the door._

_The roof collapsed. My mother wasn't out yet. Half her body crushed underneath the weight of the ceiling. I ran over to her, now I was truly crying._

_"Mommy!" I cried, hugging her._

_She gave me a sad smile, "It's alright Rin. Shh. Calm down. You don't have much time. Go find Daddy and your brother and leave the house."_

_"But Mommy! I don't want to!" I sobbed._

_She put her hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eyes. "Rin. You have to get out. Promise me you will."_

_I shook my head, "Only if you promise me you'll be safe"_

_An emotion flashed across her eyes. It was quickly masked with a small smile. "Yea, I promise."_

_I hesitantly let go of my mother and turned away. The fire was getting worse._

_"Rin!" My mother called. I turned around. She was in tears. "I love you. I love you all. Stay safe." _

_The other half was crushed in seconds. I screamed. She was gone. I crumbled to the ground. Rinto burst in, he paused when he saw her. I could hear him choke in a sob. He picked me up and ran out of the house. _

_My mother had lied. _

My heart was pounding. Beads of cold sweat hung on to the nape of my neck. I looked at the golden clock hung by the door. It was 9:00 a.m. There was a plate of food laying on the coffee table. I guessed I had missed dinner last night. I threw off the covers and got out of bed. Oliver said that I'd meet the maids today. I opened the door to my bathroom and walked in. It was huge. I wondered if I was going to have to adjust to my little apartment when I got back.

A toothbrush and some toothpaste were next to the sink. I picked up the toothbrush and applied some Colgate toothpaste on it. I was in the middle of brushing when I heard a knocking sound. I finished quickly and ran to the door. As I twisted the door knob, I felt oddly self-conscious. My hair looked like it was a rats nest and I hadn't showered yet. I hoped I didn't smell too bad. I shook my head and twisted the doorknob. On the other side of the door were three girl. They were more or less my age.

"Hi!" The one in the middle said, "We're going to take care of you, for the time you're here with us."

"Hello." I replied, surprised.

"I'm Galaco." she continued. She pointed to the girl to her left, "This is Merli", she pointed to the girl on her right, "and that's Aoki. They're sisters."

"Oh cool…" I mumbled, not knowing what else to say.

"Anyways, the first thing we need to do this morning is get you clothes. We need to get your measurements right now. We'll give you some clothes to wear after you take a shower. Then, we need to take you to hair and makeup. After that, the photo shoot will take place" Galaco said, pushing me into my room.  
Merli and Aoki took out some measuring tape.

"Stay still." ordered Merli.

I complied and watched as they took my measurements.

"All done!" Aoki chirped.

I relaxed, but not for long. Galaco handed me a towel and rushed me into the bathroom. "You've got 15 minutes. We're already running late!"

In 15 minutes I was out of the bathroom wearing all white. They gave me a white t-shirt that was way too big for me and white yoga pants. I looked like I was in PJ's.

I was about to ask them what that was about, but they didn't give me any time to speak.

"We've got to get you to hair and makeup my lady!" Aoki said, dragging me through the hallway.

When we got to the hair and makeup room. A lady turned and greeted me. She was beautiful. She wore all red. Her brown hair was cut in a bob. She smiled when she saw me. "Hi, I'm Meiko."

"Hi" I mumbled.

"You're Rin, right?" she asked.

"Yea." I nodded.

She smiled, "It's ironic that you have the same last name as Len."

I noticed that she didn't say Prince Len. She must have been close to him.

"Yea. Ironic" I agreed.

She studied me for a moment. I felt like she was seeing through me. I felt that she knew that I didn't want to be here. My hands started to feel clammy.

"You'd look good in gold Rin" she said, surprising me.

"Gold and maybe orange? No...not for this dress. White would be a good color." She turned to Aoki.

Aoki smiled and gave Meiko a thumbs up. "Already got it boss." she said before rushing out of the room.

Meiko turned her attention back on me and gestured for me to sit in a chair. I did as I was told. She wheeled me in front of a mirror where she analyzed me once again.

"Want to dye your hair? It'd look good in Red." Meiko said.

My hands flew to my head. "No thanks. No dying please."

She chuckled and nodded, "Alright. How 'bout some highlights then?"

I hesitated, but shook my head.

Meiko sighed,"Alright. Anyways, hair and makeup is a must for the contest. What style are you going for to woo the public? We can go for punk, cute, mature, anything you want."

"Can I be me?" I asked. "I don't really want to change for millions of people whom I don't really know"

Meiko grinned, "That works too."

I nodded, feeling a little scared at what she was thinking. Meiko pulled out a notepad and got out a pencil. "I need to know a little about you to create your style" she explained.

"Ok" I replied.

"Favorite food?" She asked.

That one was easy. "Oranges," I replied.

"Favorite thing to do?" She asked.

That one was easy too. "Sing," I answered.

"Favorite person at this moment?" She asked.

This was a hard one. "I don't have one, but a lot" I said.

She nodded thoughtfully, "Nice answer. Can you name a few people and tell me what you like about them?" she asked.

"Rinto. He's my big brother. He's always protecting me. My adoptive parents, they raised us with so much love. Miku Hatsune. She's always been there for me. Finally, my dad, he hasn't really raised me, but I know he loved me a lot."

"Loved?" Meiko asked.

"Yea…" I answered. I didn't want to talk about it.

Meiko didn't pry. "Alright. Um...What career do you want?" she asked.

"I want to be a Singer" I said.

She nodded. "Tell me three words to describe yourself?"

"Sarcastic, interesting, and odd."

She smiled and shook her head. "Next question, are you a virgin?"

I gaped at her and she laughed. "Guess you are."

"Are you?" I retorted, still shocked.

"Of course." she said grinning.

I narrowed my eyes, "I don't believe you."

She just rolled her. "Moving on, are you lower class, middle class, or upper class?"

"Middle…" I replied.

"Have you ever wore makeup?" She asked

"Yes." I said.

"How regularly do you use makeup" she asked.

"I've used it about 5 times in my whole life" I replied.

She paused, "Really?"

I slowly nodded.

She blinked before giving me a tight hug, "You're so cute! No wonder your skin seems so smooth nice."

"Suffocating" I breathed.

She let me go. She had a sheepish smile on her face. "Sorry, it's just you don't see that around much these days."

I nodded, looking at her as though she was crazy.

She noticed. "Well, I've got enough information for now. I'll get the rest as I get to know you." she said.

"Alright" I said.

She nodded. She seemed to be turning serious now. "Alright Rin. Not many girls in the competition stay themselves. Are you sure you want to do this? It could work out in your favor or not. I'm not sure if it is the best decision. The current queens of our country didn't choose to be themselves either. The contestants will probably take after them. You'll be unique in that sense, but….."

"I want to be myself" I confirmed. She just said that less people might support me. Of course I was going to choose this.

"Alright" Meiko said.

"Your maids are sewing a dress at the moment. They are extremely talented so the dress should be done by the time I finish makeup. The makeup and hairstyle that i'm going to do are going to go with the dress."

I nodded, "Ok"

"I'm going to put on some light makeup," Meiko continued.

I nodded again, "That's fine."

"Close your eyes and don't move." she ordered.

I did as I was told. Meiko went on doing my makeup for about half an hour. When she told me to open my eyes, I was surprised. The person looking back at me was pretty. She was beautiful. She was me. Everything Meiko had put on didn't change the way I looked. It enhanced it. My eyes were brighter. My lips were slightly redder. I didn't look like a different person as they described in books and movies, I looked like myself and I loved it.

"Like it?" Meiko asked.

"Yes!" I squealed, before immediately shutting up. That outburst was unlike me.

She smiled, "As I've said before. Everyone's going to change their style, but this just might work out for you. Being yourself doesn't give you a set style. You can be anything you want and that's the beauty of it."

"It looks amazing. Thanks" I breathed.

"Of course it does. I did it" Meiko said. I could sense how proud she was. She looked at my hair, "Now what to do with this?"

"Anything you want, except for dying" I answered.

"Highlights?" she asked again.

I shook my head, "Not going to happen Meiko"

She frowned, "How do you want me to put your hair?"

"The same way it usually is."

Meiko nodded. She brushed my hair with a comb and put white hair clips on my bangs. "I'm going to give you headphones to wear, instead of your headband" she said.

"Alright I said."

The headphones didn't look much different from my headband. They were also white and gold, with my signature bow on them. "It's to fit your image as yourself. It shows people your love of music." Meiko explained.

I nodded, "I see."

There was a knock on the door and then a creak. I turned to see what it was. Merli and Aoki walked in the room with Galaco. They were carrying a dress. It was pretty. It was a white knee length summer dress. A gold belt wrapped around its waste. The hem of the dress was gold. The dress had golden flowers blooming all over it. It looked amazing.

"You did that in an hour?" I asked.

"Like it?" asked Merli. She had a big smile on her face.

"It's beautiful" I said.

The girls grinned. "Put it on" Galaco ordered. I turned to Meiko, who nodded.

Merli handed me the dress and I ran in the changing room. I zipped it up. When I came out Galaco handed me a pair of white and gold flats. I slipped them on.

"We need to get you to the event" Galaco said. She kept on glancing at the clock.

"When does it start?" I asked.

"Two minutes…" Galaco replied.

"What?!" I screamed.

"No time to freak out. Move!" Aoki said.

Meiko who seemed to be the calmest one in the room grabbed my hand and ran out the door, dragging me with her. "I know a few short cuts. You won't make it in time without me and I am not letting you mess up my hard work." she said.

She opened the door to a room and closed it, opening another door on the other side. It led out to a random hallway. The hallways passed in a blur. Meiko turned into so many random hallways that I lost track of where we came from. Luckily, she knew where she was going because we made it to the ballroom just in time. I was breathing heavily now, so was Meiko. Everyone in the ballroom turned their heads towards us. We seemed to catch everyone's attention. Sadly, this included the princes'. Prince Kaito raised a brow. I opened my mouth to explain, but Meiko was quicker.

"Sorry! I kept this cute little thing for far too long. I didn't look at the time" she said.

The prince smiled, "As long as you brought her here on time it's fine."

Meiko grinned, "And what if I kept her?"

"Well I'd snatch her back" Prince Len said.

It felt awkward to hear him say something like that. Part of me wanted to throw up. I wasn't some possession meant to be owned by someone. This person hadn't even properly met me.

Meiko rolled her eyes, "Well, I got to get back to work. See ya' Len. Bye Kaito!" Meiko walked out of the room. Everyone was staring at me now. I spotted Miku in the crowd.

'What was that about?' she mouthed.

'Later' I mouthed back. She nodded. I noticed that like me, she didn't look much different. Her blue hair was done in her signature ponytails. She didn't have much makeup on. She was also wearing headphones. Her dress was blue, grey, and black. It was similar to mine. I wanted to question Meiko about that later. For now, I turned my attention back at the podium, where the princes' were going to begin their speeches.

"Hello Ladies, we welcome you to our home. We hope you enjoy your stay here" Prince Kaito began.

"Today, is the official start of the competition. The photos taken today will be what the public sees. You all look beautiful, so I'm sure the public will love you" Prince Len said.

I could hear the girls competing for him swoon. I could also hear the girls competing for Kaito swoon. I gagged. Where these women even the slightest bit loyal?

"We have a few announcements to make" Kaito said. "I'm sure most of you read the rules, but for the people that haven't, we are going to state a few important ones. We would like you to keep in mind that, if you resort to harming your competition in anyway, you will be disqualified. You may not leave the castle without an escort or you will be disqualified. The princes' are the ones judging the competition, they can dismiss you at any time. Also, each round you make it through the competition. You will receive a reward. The reward gets bigger as you pass more and more rounds. The reward for passing round one is a thousand dollars."

"Well, that is it. Enjoy the photo shoot." Len said. Balloons were released marking the event. An orchestra in the back started playing music.

Miku walked over to me. "You're staying aren't you?" she asked.

"I didn't know there were prizes" I mumbled. "I can save him."

Miku smiled, "I'm taking that as a yes?"

I was grinning like an idiot, "Miku I can finally pay for the operation! My dad's going to wake up soon!"

Miku laughed, "Yep, knew it. So you're going to be serious about this? You know you are competing for the prince right?"

My happiness vanished. "I'll do it for my dad Miku. I'm not doing this to get some idiot prince."

She nodded, "I know Rin….It's just that, I don't like it."

I knew what she meant. I was going to play around with someone else's feelings.

"I'll make sure I won't win Miku. My dad wouldn't like that anyways. He wouldn't be proud. I still plan on quitting. I'll just get some money first. This way once I lose, I'll be able to pay for college fees and save up for my dad's operation." I replied.

Miku nodded, "I'll help too Rin."

I shook my head, "No. I couldn't do that to you. Besides, you need the money too."

Miku didn't say anything.

"Me and Rinto should be able to gather enough money by ourselves. He has a job too, so you don't need to help." I assured her.

"Rin, that operation is worth-" Miku began.

"I can do it" I said cutting her off. "I have too…"

_"Rinto?" I was tugging his shirt. He looked down. "Is daddy leaving us too?"_

_He looked taken aback. He immediately embraced me. "No Rin. Daddy's not leaving us." His voice started to crack "He..He's just going to go to sleep. He'll wake up though. One day, he'll wake up."_

_"Rinto?" I was hugging him tightly in return._

_"Yes Rin?" he asked._

_"What's going to happen to us?" I asked._

_He paused, "The adoption agency is going to take us. If we're lucky we might find a new home._

_I was quiet. Tears were forming in my eyes again. I didn't want my father to leave us. "W… we won't be separated, right?"_

_He didn't responded. I started crying. He rubbed my back. "Yea, I promise. We won't be separated. I'll protect you Rin. I promise..."_


	5. The Day I 'Didn't' Meet The Prince

**Hi people! It's been a while. Sorry for that. School has been terrible. I think you can all relate to that. Anyways, I bring to you, on this Christmas day, a new chapter of Contests! I hope you like my present to all of you! Merry Christmas! (If you celebrate it) and Happy Holidays to all!**

**Thanks to everyone who Followed and Favorited this story. It makes me really happy ^^. Also Special thanks to: Moonlight Queen, Guest, ZanyAnimeGirl, and Alice for reviewing.**

**P.S. - Flame loves to review so I can't stop her, but you can just ignore her reviews XP. **

* * *

**FlameRuby's announcement to the public!**

**Yes, I know there wasn't an announcement last time. For there was no FlameRuby to edit that chapter!**

**In other words, I was busy with a bunch of work. Hehe, sorry!**

**I can do a cartwheel. What can you do? **

**Oh! Another question! How many of y'all watched that Legend of Korra finale? Kunoichi and I watched it together with a bunch of food. It was tragic. WHY DID IT END. Please post your opinions in your reviews.**

**Have any of you seen Kyoukai no Kanata?**

**Alright, I guess that's enough questions for now!**

**Yeah, but I hope you enjoy this chapter and I hope to edit that other chapter sometime later. **

**Happy Holidays!**

* * *

**Len's POV**

"Kaito, what are you doing?" I asked. I opened the door to his bedroom and found him hiding his CHOCO CHOCO DELICIOUS! ice cream in some kind of secret department.

"Oh, hey Len!" He exclaimed while quickly turning around. "I'm not doing anything! Why do you ask?" he said trying to sound casual.

I rolled my eyes at Kaito's attempt to hide the secret department. As I was closing the door behind me, I muttered, "Hurry up and hide that before the maids come. I'm sure our parents won't be happy seeing whatever's in there."

He grinned and did as he was told, "Thanks for keeping the secret!"

"No problem," I responded while walking over to the large sofa. Grabbing the TV remote on the coffee table, I turned on the TV to the news channel with low volume. They were broadcasting yesterday's photo shoot of the suitors. Polls for the most attractive suitor had already been set up by the public. I swear, they all were crazy.

Kaito tip toed over and leaned on the sofa headrest with a sly glint in his eyes, "Anyone catch your eye?"

I shook my head, "No, not really. I haven't even formally met all of them."

He sighed and nodded. Glancing towards the screen, he noted, "The results for my suitors are up. Some of these ladies are attractive!"

I looked directly into his thoughtful eyes, "Please tell me you're not thinking anything dirty."

He rolled his eyes, "Len, Lenny, Len-Len. I'm not that much of a pervert!"

"Yeah, you are that much!" I replied. "And don't called me those weird nicknames."

He threw a pillow at me which I dodged with ease. I was about to boast about my wonderful skill when another pillow hit the back of my head. Glaring at Kaito's smirking face, I picked up several cushions for ammo. I strategically made plans of where to hit Kaito at certain places of the room. A small evil smile tugged at my lips. This would be perfect.

My genius thoughts were interrupted when I heard loud knocking on the door. I quickly put the cushions back and turned off the TV. Kaito gestured for me to throw the pillows back at him. I threw back each of the blue pillows in hope that we would make in time before the person entered the room.

The knocking continued, but it was even louder than before. I grabbed two books from Kaito's bookshelf and put one down on the coffee table. I opened the one I kept to a random page and started pretending to read it. Kaito gave me a thumbs up before opening the door.

Our father stood there looking slightly miffed, "How many times do I have to knock to get your attention?"

"I was reading a book, father. I was so absorbed into the wonderful story, to the point that I didn't notice any noises. Forgive me," Kaito replied smoothly.

King Shion sighed, "I see."

He peeked into the room to see me 'reading' a book. "Ahh, I see you are here, Len."

I smiled, "The contest is a little overwhelming so I thought I'd relax my nerves with Kaito."

He nodded in sympathy. "I remember when I was in your position. Do not fret for I understand how you feel. I hope you both choose the right suitor. A suitor that will make both you and the country happy."

"I'm sure we will," I replied.

Our father looked satisfied with my answer, "Enjoy your free time."

He gave us one last look of sympathy before leaving. Once we couldn't hear his footsteps against the old wood of the castle, Kaito closed the door.

"That was close!" Kaito said.

"No kidding." I replied while walking over to the bookshelf to put away the books.

"Did you really come here to 'relax your nerves' with me?" Kaito laughed.

"Please don't say that. It sounds disturbing coming out of your mouth." I blatantly stated.

He grinned and and opened the door. "Len Kagamine wants to relax his nerves with me!"

"What the heck did you just do?" I demanded in anger.

He laughed, "It's alright Len. No one's really going to believe it."

"If that wasn't true, I would kill you right now." I growled.

Kaito smiled cheekily and looked at his clock, "We have to prepare ourselves to meet the ladies now."

I looked towards the clock and sighed, "You're right. Let's go. Meiko's going to kill us if we're late."

"No kidding," Kaito agreed.

* * *

**Rin's POV**

"Len Kagamine wants to relax his nerves with me!" someone shouted.

I would've thought it was a fangirl of the prince, but it was undoubtedly the voice of a guy. I supposed there were some gay guys who liked Len. Wasn't security supposed to take care of unauthorized people in the castle? I sighed and decided that there was no point thinking about such a useless topic.

I got off my couch with a sudden burst of energy after doing nothing all day. Miku and I were planning to visit the library. TV was fun, but books were a totally different thing. I walked out my door and locked it with my key card.

"Miku? You ready yet?" I called. I was pretty sure she could overhear me through the door.

I heard her footsteps as she ran to the door. Miku opened it with a big smile on her face, "Yep! Let's go!" she said and locked her door as well.

We started walking in a random direction. "So, where's the library?" Miku asked after a couple of minutes of silence.

I paused, "I don't know."

She looked horrified, "You don't mean you're going to tell me..."

"We're lost," I confirmed.

Miku searched her pockets to see if she had her phone with her, "I don't have it."

I checked to see if I had mine. I whipped it out and quickly dialed Oliver's number, when I found it. Unfortunately, I got a text message informing me that I was out of money for my prepaid plan. "No good," I moaned.

She sighed, "It won't do us any good to panic. Let's just look around and see if we can find some help."

"How are you so calm?" I asked.

She shrugged, "I just thought of the most logical thing to do in the situation. It's to stay calm."

My eyes narrowed, "Who are you and what have you done to Miku?"

She rolled her eyes, "I am Mikuo Hatsune, Miku's twin brother. I'm also a guy dressed up in a wig." she said.

"I knew it," I said nodding, like it all made sense.

Miku sighed and walked ahead of me, "Come on Rinny."

I scowled, "Don't call me Rinny!"

She smirked and continued walking, "Rinny! Rinny!"

"Miku stop it!" I ordered.

She stuck out her tongue, "I'm not Miku, remember" She paused, before saying "...Rinny?"

Cracking my knuckles, I was ready to strangle her. Her eyes widened to size of saucers as she took a few slow steps back. Those steps quickly transformed into a run.

"Miku. I'm going to kill you!" I screamed as I started pursuing her.

"Catch me if you can! I'm the gingerbread man! ...I mean woman!" She yelled back.

I facepalmed. This girl didn't always act her age. I wondered how she passed the college exam.

I noticed I was gaining too much speed so I tried slowing down. Quickly, I learned that the shoes that the palace had given me weren't meant for running. They started slipping off my feet and onto the marble tiles. I tried slowing down, but I kept sliding from the lack of friction between the slippers and perfectly polished floor. In the end, I fell backwards and landed on my bottom..

"Oww," I groaned, rubbing the area of pain.

Miku, who seemed to be struggling with the shoes as well, was sliding right into an empty knight suit with a spear directly positioned in front of it. I panicked and kicked off my flats. If we made a mess of things I was sure that it would be 'off with our heads'. Running at full speed, I tackled her right when she was about to hit the suit of armor.  
"My hero!" she cried, throwing her arm around me.

I punched her on the shoulder. She winced. "Now I know that you're the real Miku. She does a lot of stupid stuff." I stated.

Miku scowled, but didn't protest. "Thanks for the save."

I smiled, "What are best friends for?"

"Bailing you out of jail?" She questioned.

I grinned, "A, we're too amazing to be in jail. B, if we were in jail, I'd be in there with you."

She returned the grin. "How could I ever forget that?"

"I dunno," I said while looking towards the ceiling and crossing my arms against my chest. "You've offended my trust in our friendship."

"No! Don't! Rinny, give me another chance!" she cried.

"I'm not sure if I can do that Miku…" I paused while pretending to contemplate. I looked off into the distance. "I don't know if I-I can trust you anymore..."

"Rin, please!" she begged. Real tears from her wide blue eyes were threatening to seep out.  
"I-I'll give you another chance," I said pretending to think about it a lot.

"Thank you Rin!" she said. Her tears were spilling now, but they were 'tears of joy'.

Miku gave me a hug and I hugged her back. She was about to say something when we heard someone clapping from behind us. We froze, both shocked and embarrassed. I could feel my face burning up.

I turned around to see Meiko with Prince Kaito and Prince Len. Prince Kaito looked deeply moved by the performance. Len smiled with an amused expression. Meiko, on the other hand, was bursting with laughter.

"You guys are adorable!" she said when she finally caught her breath.

"T-thanks" Miku stuttered. She was the color of a ripe tomato.

"Oliver told me that you two were interesting, but that was brilliant!" Meiko continued.

I didn't think it was humanely possible, but I turned even redder. "Sorry." I mumbled and looked down.

"I'm not scolding you both," she said shaking her head. "I think I like you guys even more now!"

We looked at her in shock. I knew the extent of our weirdness. It was limitless. Compliments were unheard of to us. "How?" Miku asked, baffled by Meiko's actions.

Meiko shrugged, "I like how you both are being yourself even in a fierce competition."

We looked at each other in realization. That explained why we dressed similarly! I felt happy that Miku didn't want to change for the sake of the competition, but I supposed her reasons were completely different from mine. After all, she did have a little crush on Prince Kaito. My feelings for Prince Len were nonexistent, unless you considered hate a feeling for him.

"Oh! Right. I need you two in hair and makeup now. You'll be seeing the prince's in three hours," she said.

We titled our heads to see the princes behind her. "Um…" Miku said pointing at the them..

Meiko gestured at them, "Pretend that these kids were never here."

"Okay," I said. They were about to leave when I shouted, "Wait!"

Prince Len and Prince Kaito paused to turn around. Confusion was written over both of their faces.

"Please forget that you ever saw th-that scene," I sputtered.

Kaito grinned, "Nope! Sorry, I don't want to." He winked at Miku who turned red once again after having her face return to its normal color.

Len just smirked, "I'll think about it."

They continued walking away from us. My face grew hot with anger and embarrassment. I wanted to kill them both.

Meiko saw my murderous expression and laughed, "Come on, Rin. Let's get you ready to meet the Prince for the 'first' time," she said.

"I wonder if he'll be a jerk," I replied sarcastically.

She squealed, "I already know who I'm going to ship for this competition!"

I didn't know why, but I felt like that was bad news.


	6. The Interview

**Hi guys! I have another chapter for you! I had so much fun writing this one. I think you'll like it. ^^. Oh Guess what? Contests has a new picture! It took me a while to draw it. I'm not a professional so i'm sorry if it doesn't look good. I tried my best. Also, me and Flame will start replying to your reviews. If you have any questions feel free to review! If you don't mind, address it to one of us so we know who your talking to. (ex. To Witch: or To Flame:)**

**I suppose I'll start asking questions too haha. um...What do you think will happen next? If your predictions are super interesting, I might incorporate your idea in the story :) **

**Like always, Thanks to everyone who Followed and Favorited! Special Thanks to: MikanAru, superpiggyy, Alice, B.L, Missy Missy Bounce, Lolly1o1, ZanyAnimeGirl, Marimosaber, moonlight quden, Kaleidoscopic Dragon, and Ashe Corinthos**. **I love you guys!**

**MikanAru: Thank you!**

**Alice: Thank you! Yep he is! **

**B.L: Aww thanks! ^^**

**Missy Missy Bounce: Thank you! I'm glad I stumbled on the idea.**

**Lolly101: Yep! They'll get to see more soon.**

**ZanyAnimeGirl: Thank you!**

**Marimosaber: It is! Thanks!**

**moonlight quden: Thank you!**

**Kaleidoscopic Dragon: Thank you! I promise to add more Kaito and Miku soon!**

**Ashe Cornithos: I'm so glad you like it! Thanks for reading!**

* * *

**FlameRuby's message to the public:**

**Hi! **

**Another question! What is your… favorite flavor of ice cream? **

**I'd like to say something to superpiggyy **

**It's awesome that you think so too! I cried. I was in a ball and my friend was patting my back. It was fantastic. For the past few weeks, Fridays are the days where we feel sad. And the pain! Oh the pain. It hurts.**

* * *

"Don't you both love how you look?" Meiko asked. She seemed proud of her work.

Miku twirled around, "The dress is gorgeous!"

Meiko smiled. "Of course it is! I designed it! Continue complimenting my wonderfulness."

I laughed, "Meiko, you're amazing!"

She grinned, "Rin, Rin, Rin. I'm disappointed you figured that out only now."

I rolled my eyes playfully and shook my head slightly at her pride.

While fingering through the folds of my dress, I noticed the beautiful details even more. It was a magnificent golden yellow with fabric that was smooth and comfortable. Black floral designs were decorated across the fabric and made the dress stand out. The sleeves were black and poofy. They added a nice touch to the design. This dress reached my ankles as well, unlike the last one I wore. I absolutely adored it.

I wasn't really a feminine person, but Meiko knew how to bring the little femininity I did have out of me. The dress was an amazing work of art. Other than Miku's gown, there wouldn't be a gown that matched it's beauty.

Meiko had given me a black choker with a yellow stone in the middle to wear around my neck. Miku had one similar to mine and instead of the stone being yellow, it was a nice deep chokers made our the dress stand out even more.

"How's your hair and makeup?" Meiko asked.

"Fricken amazing!" Miku answered.

Miku's long, beautiful teal hair was down for the occasion. Meiko had placed a few raven black flowers in it. The colors clashed and created a marveling appearance.

My hair was put into a elegant bun for the occasion. Like Miku, black flowers were put into my hair, but they surrounded the bun. I didn't know how Meiko did it, but she managed to make me look regal. It reminded me of Rillane in the novel called the Daughter of Evil. Miku seemed to think that too, because she gasped and muttered, "My gods, Rin you just turned into Rillane!"

I chuckled. Meiko walked over and raised a brow. "It's an inside joke," I answered. She nodded and walked away.

Meiko's amazing job didn't end just there. She had done a wonderful job with the makeup too. It was light, but that had a certain beauty to it. The only thing she really worked on was our eyes. They looked fierce, alluring, and breathtaking.

With Meiko's great help, I knew I could make it past this round. From what I expected, the prince was probably going to judge us based on our appearances; there would be time to get to know each other later. This round was for first impressions and knowing who was in the competition.

"When do we go down to the room?" Miku asked. She seemed nervous. It made my already-cute-friend be even cuter. I looked at her with a reassuring smile. Kaito was definitely going to love her. If I wanted anyone to win this competition, it would definitely be Miku. There was no doubt about it.

Meiko looked at her watch. "You guys still have half an hour." She grabbed the TV remote and turned on the television."Let's watch what's going on with the reporters."

I pulled on the back of my black elbow length gloves that Galaco had given me and turned my attention towards the TV.

"Kyaa! We're at the ballroom right now. Doesn't it look splendid?" the reporter asked. The camera circled around the ballroom. It didn't look bad at all. It reminded me of the ballroom in Beauty and The Beast. I couldn't help but smile at the elegant room.

Childhood memories washed over me. On halloween night when I was 9, I had dressed up as Belle. I felt so pretty in that charming yellow gown. Miku was dressed as Cinderella and Rinto had accompanied us as Beast. When I asked him why, he told me that every princess needed a prince.

I internally sighed. Rinto was a great brother to be with even though he did have his annoying moments. I truly missed him. He was currently working as a programmer in a prestigious company and he was usually never free to visit. The company was well-known, so it needed as many workers and working hours it could get. Rinto was working hard to earn money for our fathers operation. I could feel a wave of determination wash over me; I would work hard to earn some money from this competition as well.

I turned my attention back towards the TV. The reporter was commenting on how amazing both the princes looked. Kaito was wearing a nice suit that was a deep blue, sharp and well-fitted. I glanced at Meiko who had a hint of amusement in her eyes, "And he said it would make him look weird."

"Do you know him?" Miku asked out of curiosity.

She turned towards her and grinned, "Why? Want me to spread a good word?"

Miku flushed, "No!"

After another few teasing remarks, Meiko nodded. "I know both the princes."

Meiko looked my way to see my expression. I wasn't that surprised. She was with them not so long ago and was in a comfortable manner. They must have been friends.

"'I design their clothes and do their makeup. It's like what I'm doing with yo-" she paused and scrunched up her nose after glancing at the screen once again, "Len's bow is a little crooked."

"Meiko," I said catching her attention.

"We've known each other since we were kids. They're like my little brothers," she continued. A small smile grew on Meiko's lips. I could tell that she was proud of where they were now. She was proud of them more than any of her works.

My eyes darted towards the T.V. screen and zeroed in on Len. Maybe Len wasn't as bad as I imagined him to be. After all, Meiko did like him. There had to be some hope in this. He couldn't have been that bad.

I dismissed the thought once Meiko had taken out a deck of cards. "It's to pass the time," she answered when Miku and I gave her odd looks.

"Alright, let's play BS!" Miku declared.

To my surprise an hour flew by quickly. We probably would have been bored to death without the cards.

"We'll go after we finish the game!" I promised when Meiko had ordered us to go to the ball room.

"Please Meiko? Please?" Miku asked. We were playing an intense session of BS. Miku was on the verge of winning, but I had a plan to defeat her.

Meiko groaned and walked behind me. At first, I thought she had given up, but I felt a sharp pinch on my ear right afterward. I dropped my cards as she pulled me up to my feet. She walked over to Miku and did the same thing. With both of our ears in each of her hands, she dragged us out the room. She let us free when we reached the ballroom. I rubbed my ear with a hurt look on my face.

"You didn't need to do that," Miku growled.

Meiko rolled her eyes and questioned innocently, "Would you have finished your game in five minutes?"

"Yes," I replied.

She gave me a look that clearly said 'not believing it'.

"No," I corrected.

Meiko looked satisfied with my answer. She glanced at the ballroom before looking back at us.

"Here's some advice," Meiko started as she put both of her hands on each of our shoulders and looked into both of our eyes. "There are cameras everywhere. I want you two to smile wide and be on your best behavior. This is a great opportunity for you both to show you being yourselves. The interviews will be somewhat different this year. They're happening first instead of the dances. Think of these as part one and two. You have to do well in both. Make sure to give Len and Kaito good impressions. Good luck!"

Miku smiled, "Thanks Meiko."

"No problem! Kiddos, that's what I'm here for," Meiko glanced at the party one more time before continuing, "I'll be back here in a few minutes for the party. I'll see you then."

We watched her walk down the hall until she disappeared from our view.

Taking in a deep breath, I scanned the ballroom for all the different competitors. I recognized some faces from the TV screen that first day. Neru was by the punch bowl cheerfully talking to some of the other competitors. Gumi was sitting by herself in the corner. She was reading something on her phone. IA was grabbing a drink that the butlers and maids were passing out.

"Our first obstacle," Miku murmured while looking at the reporters and cameras heading towards us.

"Yep," I muttered back.  
The perky reporter that we had seen on the TV that day had reached us first. She was followed by her camera man who was pointing his camera at us.

I tried my best to put on a dazzling smile. Miku had done the same, except mine probably didn't look as genuine as hers. I hoped my attempt at a pretty smile didn't look odd. It felt awkward keeping that expression on my face.

"Rin Kagamine and Miku Hatsune have just walked into the ballroom together. They look dashing in their matching gowns, don't you think? You can just tell how deep their friendship," She commented cheerfully.

I tried to not change my expression. While trying to take in the crowd in front of me, I wondered if wearing matching ball gowns was a gesture of friendship for royalty.

The reporter put the microphone in front of my face. I wondered why I felt the pressure of hundreds of eyes watching me now. Butterflies flew rapidly in my stomach. I groaned underneath my breath and tried to regain my confidence. Quickly composing myself, I looked towards the reporter directly in the eye and complimented, "Oh, you're too kind."

The reporter smiled and switched the microphone to Miku. I relaxed slightly knowing that the focus wasn't on me anymore. Miku replied with ease, "Rin and I wouldn't let anything in the world come between our friendship. Not even clothes."

The reporter nodded and turned to face the camera. "A beautiful friendship indeed," she turned back towards us to say, "Well I hope you beautiful ladies have a good time here. Good luck with your interviews!"

"Thank you so much. We hope you have a good time too," Miku cheerfully replied.

The reporter nodded and walked away towards another contestant who was just walking in.

"Look who's a professional," I whispered when the reporter was gone.

Miku grinned, "So I did good?

I nodded in agreement. Miku smiled even bigger and was obviously proud of herself. She saw my frown and reassuringly said, "Cheer up, Rin. You did great."

I nodded again, but I really didn't pay any attention to those words. Miku frowned and stepped in front of me. She put both of her hands on my shoulders and stared directly into my face. I stared back and started to feel uncomfortable.

"Cheer up. You did great. And hey! Even if you didn't, you shouldn't frown. You should suck it up and recover from your blunder," she advised.

This time I took Miku seriously,"Thanks."

Miku slapped my back with sympathetic look, "C'mon interviews are going to start. I heard they're random."

Just as she gestured to the glass bows with little white slips of paper, Meiko came out in a red, knee length dress. Looking beautiful as always, she picked out a paper with probably a hint of amusement in her eyes. I was probably just imagining it until Meiko leaned forward and cleared her throat, "Can Rin Kagamine please come to the private room to have her interview?"

The evil little butterflies returned. Miku nudged me forward and mouthed 'good luck'. I beamed for the cameras and went up the stairs. I put my chin up high when I remembered what Effie Trinket had told her tributes in The Hunger Games.

Wondering if Effie's advice would be useful, I realized that I was facing my own battle to the death right now. I was against a hoard of Len fangirls and it was more terrifying for every step I took. I could feel all their envious stares watching me from behind. They were probably judging me at the very moment. Even if I didn't win in the beauty category, I hoped my personality could win over the prince.

"You'll do fine," Meiko whispered comfortingly when I stood at the top of the stage and held my shaking hands together. "Remember what I told you."

Meiko opened up the door and gestured for me to go inside. Prince Len was sitting there, reading a book. He looked up and smiled when he saw me. I supposed it would make most of the contestants heart melt, but I wasn't amongst the most.  
After I sat down on a chair opposite to his, I heard Meiko close the door. I looked around the room out of curiosity. I noticed that there weren't any cameras, so that was a relief. I faced Prince Len who watched me with interest. Other girls would have felt happy, but I felt slightly creeped out at his behavior. Even though I knew it was currently his job to observe me, I couldn't help but shudder from the amount of attention I was getting.

He smiled, "Hello dear. How was your day?"

I scowled at the use of dear. It felt disgusting to be called by that name. In the end, I quickly covered it up with a smile. "It's good. Thank you. How's yours?" I asked.

He noticed, but ignored it, "Good, thank you."

I nodded while giving a small smile, "Of course."

The conversation was quickly turning more awkward. I mentally chided myself to be more talkative. However, I just couldn't bring myself to talk to him. Something in my head said that it was probably because I hated him. I groaned and decided that I had to put aside my anger for the time being. Prince Len heard me talking under my breath and raised a brow. My cheeks flared and I shook my head with embarrassment. He stared at me for a moment before his eyes looked at me with recognition.

I supposed he remembered that I was the girl with Meiko from this morning. Mentally wincing, I saw my good impression fly out the window. He probably thought I was a weirdo now.

Prince Len unexpectedly grinned, "You're the girl from the morning, aren't you?"

I debated whether to lie or not. Deciding it was pointless since he would probably find out later, I answered, "Yes, your majesty."

He continued smiling with amusement dancing across his eyes. My evil little butterflies were going crazy in my stomach again! I gulped while awaiting his answer. I hoped that he wasn't going to kick me out. He opened his mouth to speak, "Do you often do things like that?"

I felt a hollow feeling settle down in my stomach. I hated myself for worrying whether he disapproved or not. Sadly, I couldn't help it no matter what I tried. "Not intentionally." I answered. My voice sounded quiet.

He chuckled, "Of course."

My face flushed from embarrassment again. I reminded myself that I could and had to get through this competition. For the sake of my dad, I brought myself together and watched him with curious eyes.

"What did you do before you came to the castle?" he asked, changing the subject.

I smiled recalling the memory of college, "I was a student at Vocaloid University."

Len nodded and inquired, "What were you studying?"

"I want to be a musician when I grow up. I was studying music," I replied.

I thought I was imagining it, but for a moment I saw his eyes light up in interest, "Did you enjoy it?"

My face brightened as I started to enjoy the conversation. This was heading into my territory.

"I enjoy it a lot. I love music," I paused and looked up. Prince Len continued giving me a big smile. My breath hitched since he seemed actually interested. I ignored it and continued, "I love the feeling of being free when I sing. It's like I'm creating a story through my words. A short story full of love, pain, regret, happiness, and every other emotion you can think of."

Feeling how passionate I sounded while saying this, my cheeks turned red. I looked up at the Prince. He gave me a warm smile. I didn't understand why, but that made me turn redder.

"I love music too." He announced, surprising me. He laughed, "My father get's really annoyed because I spend way too much time studying it."

We talked about our musical interests for the next half hour. I was horrified when I found myself feeling disappointed that I had to leave.

"Goodbye, dear," Len called out.

I scowled once more, not bothering to cover it up this time. He chuckled, "What is it?"

"I'm not your 'dear'," I answered with my eyebrows furrowed.

He sighed, "Alright. What would you like me to call you?"

"Rin," I said. "You can call me Rin."  
He smirked, "Well Rin, I had a nice time talking with you. I hope we see each other again soon."

I could feel my face grow hot. When I came back to the ballroom I had asked Miku about it. She seemed as surprised as I did. Unlike me, she had an answer to my predicament.

"Maybe it's because you're falling in love," Miku dreamily said.

I replied angrily to her illogical answer, "I am not falling in love with Len Kagamine!"

My heart told me otherwise…..This was bad.


	7. Blue Night

**Hey people! I'm back with an update! I apologize that this took so long. Flame and I have been busy. We continue to be busy….life is hard. Anyways, We hope you enjoy this chapter! **

**vocalover: Aww, thank you! I hope you continue to enjoy it :D - Witch**

**Kireina Yume: The story has been updated! Thank you! I totally get that. I'd love to go into some fictional world...why are they so amazing? - Witch**

**reinpianist****: Sorry, that I'm posting it so late but here it is! - Witch**

**Lolly1o1****: Rin's in for a lot of drama soon XD - Witch / ****AHAHAHAHA a lot of people criticize me for this, but I have always been a Vanilla fan for life. VANILLA ICE CREAM Is just my way to go. I do like chocolate somewhat! I'm glad that there are chocolate lovers in the world. LOVE CHOCOLATE FOREVER. Remember kids, CHOCO CHOCO ICE CREAM! Is that really a thing? I made it up. Anyway, I love that you replied to my question! THANK YOU VERY MUCH THANK YOU SOO MUCH YEAH - Flame**

**Alice: You'll see that soon! I'm still planning some of them. If you guys like, you can give me some ideas. :) - Witch**

**Ashe Corinthos****: Yep! I'm planning so much drama for all of them in the future. I feel so evil mwahaha! - Witch**

**Kaleidoscopic Dragon****: I'm glad I made you laugh! I had a goofy smile when I was writing those things haha. I've been putting a lot of references, but I actually haven't read the novels yet….Heh XD -Witch / ****I totally agree with you.** **The books were… They can't even be described. I love them a lot. Especially if your friend forces you to read one in a day. - Flame**

**AndroidSoul****: Thank you! I'm really really glad that you like it! - Witch**

**superpiggyy****: ****HEYYYY It's been a long time, but I AGREE SO MUCH. Me and my friend are still moaning for No more Korra and all. - Flame**

**What is your…. favorite type of pie or cake? - Flame**

* * *

**Kaito**

"Do you not like me my prince?" My suitor asked.

I didn't have the heart to say no, but I didn't want to have to lie either. Instead, I slowly backed away as she tried to seduce me. This was definitely not how I imagined my next interview to be. Things had been going great at first and I met a bunch of pretty ladies. Why did I have to now endure this now?

The old woman leaned closer onto my shoulder. I shuddered in disgust. Her dress was too revealing. I might have liked it on a younger body, but this wasn't a sight to enjoy. The lady's face was caked with makeup. She bit her lip, continuing to pester me. It was an understatement to say that I was dying on the inside.

"You're a nice lady…" I said, not knowing what else to say.

She looked a little disappointed at my reaction, but took it as a compliment anyways, "Why, thank you, my prince."

I held back a gag and nervously watched to see what she would do next. If I sent this lady out immediately, the press would no doubt do something terrible to her. I didn't want to ruin her life, so I felt a new wave of motivation inside of me.

As I chewed the inside of my mouth, I looked at the clock. I had talked to all the ladies for about fifteen minutes. It was ten minutes into our interview now. I just had to endure for a little bit more.

The lady circled around me while trailing a finger across the side of my face. I cringed, but she didn't seem to notice. She stopped to sit on my lap, making me incredibly uncomfortable. The old suitor smiled flirtatiously and leaned close. I felt her breath on my neck. A shiver of disgust went through my entire body.

The lady used her bony finger to lift my chin up and had a disappointed look on her face, "I know we were having such a good time, but it'd be bad if I stayed any longer my prince."

I nodded, feeling extremely relieved.

"I hope to see you soon," the old woman murmured. However, in the last minute, she attacked my face with a kiss. I tried to escape, but her hands were too firm. She let me go after a minute and walked away. As she neared the door, she gave me a small wave of goodbye.

I sunk into my chair in shock. Feeling like I had been disintegrated and shamed for my whole existence. I hadn't recovered by the time Meiko had let my last suitor enter through the door. I hadn't really pay attention to how they looked like, but I could have guessed that they were worried.

(Ahh, I hope you don't mind this little may skip through it if you like, but Flame wrote this really awesome thing when I was writing the chapter. I found it hilarious so I included this in here. Tell her what you think of it!

Flame entered the room with an outfit that stood out among the rest, but was designed to keep her hidden. Lowering her sunglasses slightly with the top of her thumb, she scanned the room for old little ladies that were attempting to hurt Kaito. These ladies were considered CODE RED to the Kaito Protection Agency and were labeled to be exterminated immediately. Their appearances were described as short, wore heavy amounts of makeup, and had poorly covered clothing.

The masks made it difficult to differentiate the young from the senile. However, Flame was an experienced agent. She was the best on the team. Flame knew she could solve this.

"Target spotted. Bluebell in the back right corner of the room. ORANGE, two o'clock," the transmitter in her ear reported.

Flame pressed her back against the wall. The laughter of the suitors echoed throughout the room with their fake smiles and undesirable words. She shuddered in disgust. Flame glared through her sunglasses at the suitors with hate.

"Kaito shall be saved and not harmed under my watch," Flame muttered underneath her breath.

Stealthily, she made her way to the back corner of the room. Although she had to dodge flying food, enormous dresses, and the annoying TV reporters, Flame knew it would all be worth it. She crept up toward the old lady with a bluebell dress and whisked her away while putting duct tape on her mouth. She has short and her dress was less poofy than some, so it was easy to conceal from others.

Flame dumped her in a shopping cart with the lady's hands and feet tied together. And then, she prepared to get the next little old lady.

Anything to protect Kaito.

The Kaito Protection Agency is the best. )

Meiko walked over to me and poked me on the cheek. "Kaito get up! You're acting unprofessional!" she whispered fiercely.

"Unprofessional," I laughed like a maniac and causing both my suitor and Meiko to back away in surprise.

"What's wrong with you?" Meiko said sounding worried.

"I'm done. Just done." I said shaking my head.

Meiko groaned and slapped me hard on the cheek. I blinked and snapped out of the daze I was in. My cheek stung. I rubbed it for comfort.

"Thanks. I needed that." I muttered.

She nodded in sympathy, but yelled, "Tell me about it later. You need to talk to someone right now."

Meiko gestured to the teallete who was awkwardly sitting in her chair.

I shook my head slightly in agreement, but I didn't know what to say after the girl saw that commotion I caused. I was about to ask Meiko for help, but she had already rushed out of the door. It slammed with a loud thump, meaning that she wasn't going to come back for awhile.

I turned my head towards the girl and decided to introduce myself like that never happened, "Hello, my lady. It is nice to meet you."

She gave me an awkward smile, "Yeah, nice to meet you too."

I internally cursed. How could I believe that I could start a conversational normally after she had seen that little scene? I ruined my honor! My beautiful honor! It's was gone!

On the other hand, my mind flashed to this morning where I recognized her doing something equally as amusing.

"I know you!" I exclaimed, "You're the one from this morning!"

Her cheeks flushed from embarrassment as she nodded. I couldn't help, but find that cute.

"If you promise to forget that ever happened, I'll change my mind and forget what happened this morning." I offered.

She gave me a sweet smile in return, "I'd like that very much."

My cheeks started to get warm. This suitor was very cute indeed. "So, um, what's your name my lady?" I asked.

"Miku Hatsune." She answered.

I grinned while slightly tipping my head to the side, "You have a beautiful name, my lady."

She smiled, "Thank you, my prince. If it's not too much to ask, may you call me Miku? Calling me your lady just seems a bit weird."

I felt a smile creep up my face, "Miku it is."

She smiled as well and said, "Thank you."

My cheeks warmed up a bit more. I looked towards the clock and frowned. Fourteen minutes had passed already. I had actually enjoyed my time with her even though it was a little amount.

Miku seemed to notice what was going on too because she gave me sad smile. "Seems like I have to go soon." she murmured.

"It's my fault. Sorry," I apologized.

Miku shook her head, "It's alright. I'm sure something made you go like that. I mean, it did, right?" she questioned.

I put my hand on my chin with thoughtful look, "I promise you I'm not a lunatic, well, not that much of a lunatic."

She giggled and said, "Alright, whatever you say."

Once the clock struck ten she smiled and headed towards the door. As her hand touched the door knob she looked back to say, "I guess I'll see you in ballroom."

I gave her a charming smile, "I'm looking forward to our dance."

I could see cheeks go tomato red. She bowed and quickly left the room. The girl really was adorable.

Meiko walked in a second later. A big smile was etched across her face. "How'd it go?" she asked.

I shuddered, "I'll never do an interview with an old lady again!"

She looked confused for a moment, before shaking her head, "That's not what I mean. Tell me about that later. How did your interview go with your last contestant?"

"It went well," I said with the corners of my mouth lifting by the second.

"Oh, that's good," Meiko casually let out. She analyzed my expression once more before saying, "The dance starts in ten minutes. Get ready now."

Meiko calmly walked out the door after slapping my back playfully. I wondered what she was up to when I heard a squeal of delight. I blinked, that couldn't have been her...

* * *

**Miku**

Rin was still being as unreasonable as ever when I walked back. I was only teasing her when I told her that her 'nauseousness' was love. I didn't lie though, what else could that be? She could have been nervous, but that wasn't like Rin. She had a burning passion of hatred that would erase all the doubt in her mind and make her an unstoppable machine.

I looked over to the isolated table in the corner Rin was sitting at now. She was drinking some orange juice. Her expression was a clear sign stating to not come near her. Did I offend her that much? Or was it that I was right?

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I couldn't see my little blond friend with the prince at all. At least, not until she gave up her hate on the government or at least her hate on him.

I sighed and decided to eat something. I walked over to the left, where chefs were preparing food in front of people. I glanced at the menu and drooled a little when I saw that they had various meals with leeks in them.

I was about to order LEEK DELIGHT! until Rin immediately appeared beside me. "Watcha gonna get?" she asked sweetly.

I froze as I remembered our promise. "A nice healthy salad," I replied, mustering up a fake smile.

She looked amused by this. "Alright. I'm going to get that!" She exclaimed and pointed towards LEEK DELIGHT!

"That's nice," I said bitterly, grabbing some of the salad on the side.

Rin grinned even more and added brioche to her plate.

I blinked, while staring at her food. Rin raised a brow when she caught sight of my gaze/ "Something wrong?" she asked.

I shook my head quickly and eyed the brioche suspiciously, "Nope, nothing at all."

Rin slowly nodded. It was obvious that she wasn't buying it. After adding some more leek meals to her plate, she walked back towards her table. I followed her, occasionally giving hungry glances at her food. Rin finally sighed and pushed her plate towards me, while keeping the brioche in her hand. I gaped at her sudden act of kindness.

Rin laughed, "Jeez, you act like I'm a witch." She waved the brioche, "I just wanted a little snack. I'm not that hungry."

"Who knew Rilliane could be nice at times? Or even nice at all?" I teased.

She stuck her tongue out and bit into the bread, "Meanie. Watch your words, I may take this plate of so called deliciousness back."

I picked up a fork and started devouring down the food. "Soo good," I moaned.

Rin rolled her eyes and continued munching on her brioche. It was silent for a while until Rin spoke, "Were you actually serious about that?"

I looked up to see a faint blush dust her cheeks as she looked away from me. My jaw dropped. Rin Kagamine wasn't the one to blush over a boy. If anyone knew that, it would be me. For the prince to be the one to make her be so confused over the thought, what was the world coming to?

I closed my mouth and shook my head, "No, but I'm starting to doubt myself. Could it be that you actually like him?"

Rin's eyes widened with horror. She shook her head frantically, "N-no! Of course not!" She turned her head away from me, but I could clearly tell that her face was a deep crimson.

"Alright," I said not truly trusting her words.

Rin was about to respond back, but someone tapped the microphone. We turned our attention towards the stage. Meiko stood their once more. "The interviews are now over. It's time for the dance to begin!" she announced happily.

I watched the suitors building a huge line on the side of the ballroom. Girls were pushing each other to be the first one to dance with the princes. It was sickening to see them pushing each other around violently.

" 're all love-struck idiots." Rin declared. She seemed to be as disgusted with their behavior as I was.

I nodded, agreeing. I understood that love could make you do stupid things, but these people were just acting horrible.

Rin sighed, "Let's wait until the line gets shorter."

I noticed how she she said we were only going to wait. The normal Rin Kagamine wouldn't bother to get up at all. Instead, she would hang out by the food section to eat. The especially included the dishes that contained oranges. Could It be that she was falling in love?

I dismissed the idea mentally and looked over at Kaito. He caught my gaze and winked. Warm blood rushed towards my cheek causing me to look a little flushed. He smiled when he noticed my reaction. It was hard to believe that a simple action could make my heart skip a beat, but surprisingly it did.

Rin grinned when she saw our interaction, "It seems like things are going well with you and the prince?"

I didn't respond to her question. To be honest, I was too embarrassed to speak. Rin's eyes suddenly widened. "What happened in the interview room?" she pried, even more interested than before.

I shook my head vigorously, "Nothing much. He acted weird at first and Meiko snapped him out of it. We just talked after that."

She smirked, "Well, from what I see, I think you'll probably share the last dance with him."

I rolled my eyes, but secretly smiled at the thought. The last dance was something special in these competitions. It was an indicator of who the prince enjoyed his time with the most. However, my five minutes with Kaito couldn't have possibly won his heart tonight.

Meiko walked over towards us after she was done talking with some suitors. She shot me a sympathetic look, "I'm sorry you're interview was so short kiddo. Kaito told me that his previous interview wasn't so pleasant. It was natural of him to act the way he did."

I nodded to reassure her. Although it probably wasn't right to ask, I couldn't help myself from wanting to know what exactly had happened. Meiko seemed to notice my look and pulled us closer together. She whispered the incident in our ears. Was it wrong to laugh at what happened? Yes. Did we do it anyways? Yes.

I turned towards Kaito who was now glaring daggers at Meiko. He probably had guessed what she had told us. I smiled at his embarrassment and giggled a little. His expression was just priceless.

After a while, I sighed while looking towards the line. It hadn't gotten any shorter. By now, I thought that it wouldn't get any shorter anytime soon.

Meiko pulled out a deck of cards. "You'll be waiting for a while.." she explained, while giving us a sheepish smile. After all, she's the one who took our cards away before.

That lead to another intense session of B.S. The game was so fun, we couldn't help, but play it again! Meiko was in the lead now. She had won three games before as well. Rin and I were tied with one win, but Rin was losing this round. That meant that I was up against Meiko. She seemed to be pretty confident in winning. However, I wasn't going to let that happen. Meiko had one card left while I had three. Meiko put her card down, "One Queen of Hearts."

I bit my lip, looking down at the huge pile of cards. If I was wrong, then I would gain all of them and Meiko would end up winning. If I was right then Meiko wouldn't win and I'd have a chance.

"B.S.!" Rin shouted before I could say anything.

Meiko groaned, "How'd you know?"

Rin flashed all four Queens in her face. "Oh, I dunno. Just a guess!" she said smirking.

Meiko pouted and took the cards. It didn't take long for me to win. I glanced at the line once again while nudging Rin. It had shortened in the time that we were playing. Meiko smiled encouragingly. "What are you two waiting for? Go," she ordered, pushing us towards the direction of the lines.

A few heads turned as we walked by the masses of people. I could hear the gossip begin.

"Those are the roommate suitors? I heard they bribed people to get in…."

"Hah! Disgusting…"

"That blonde spent a long time with Prince Len, what do you think she did?'

"Can't be anything good."

"I heard something happened to shorten the teal's time."

"Hmm? Prince Kaito probably kicked her out."

I glanced at Rin. She was clenching her fists. I guessed she had heard them too. While trying not to let the insults faze me, I realized that there were bound to be tons of rumors spreading around since the competition began.

Sooner or later, we separated into the correct lines. There were two people in front of me. Both of the girls seemed nice, but shy. We talked for a bit as the songs for the dances played

Each dance was five minutes long which meant that I still had a ten minute wait. Looking up at the giant clock above the stage, I sighed and started twirling my teal locks with my finger. It was currently 11:45 PM. A little bored, I turned my head to watch Kaito dance. I noticed that his movements were light and graceful. He seemed to enjoy every moment completely.

Oliver had told me that I was a natural at dancing when me and Rin were practicing with him not too long ago. It was probably from our music training. We had to know how to wow the crowd on stage as well as in videos.

The girl in front of me ran towards Kaito's side when the previous suitor's dance was over. The girl's movements didn't seem to have any emotion. She stumbled a few times and went a little slowly.

Kaito seemed to understand her difficulty and went with her pace. He would help her recover without anyone noticing. I had to smile at his kindness. The girl left and Kaito turned his attention towards me. I walked up to him and curtsied, "Hello, Prince Kaito."

He nodded in acknowledgment. Amusement flickered in his eyes, "Miku."

Kaito put an arm around my waist. The other one was open for my hand. I put my hand on his shoulder and took the other for my open hand. "How are you enjoying the night?" I questioned, trying to make a conversation.

"It's been fun," he answered. After a minute of contemplation, he looked at me in the eyes, "I've gotten to dance with a lot of pretty girls."

"That's nice," I replied while keeping my cool. I wasn't going to behave like the 'love-struck idiots' as Rin called them.

His smile widened, "How about you?"

"It's been fun for me as well. The food is delicious." I said.

Kaito chuckled, "You only like it because of the food? What about the entertainment?"

I looked towards the orchestra in the far corner of the room. I felt guilty for not noticing them before. As I listened, I couldn't deny that they sounded beautiful. A choir stood beside them, singing when it was appropriate. "It's wonderful," I murmured, breathtaken.

He seemed a little proud, "Thank you. Len and I picked them out." He glanced at the king who was talking to some high officials. "Someone didn't think that we could pick something appropriate." he replied smugly.

I laughed lightly and looked over at the clock. Frowning slightly as my five minutes had quickly passed again, I glanced back at Kaito. He let go of my hand while giving me an apologetic look. I walked back to Rin who was leaning against the wall.

"How'd your dance go?" I asked.

She shrugged, "Alright." I swore I saw a faint pink line across her cheeks. "You?" she asked.

"Good," I paused, before speaking again. "I think."

She cracked a smile and rolled her eyes, "Miku Hatsune can charm any guy she wants. Please. I'm sure you did fine."

I shook my head and denied it.

King Crypton walked up to the microphone and cleared his throat, "The night is coming to an end. The final dance is about to begin,"

My palms started to sweat. I couldn't deny that I was nervous, but I attempted to keep a confident face.

The king looked around the ballroom and sighed, "It is sad to say that not all of you beautiful ladies will be staying in the castle after tonight. I'd like to congratulate the suitors who are moving up to the next round in advance. We expect many things from you."

I glanced to the side of me. Most of the suitors seemed confident. A few looked panicked. I fidgeted with my hands and prepared myself for the worst, but I didn't think that I was going to lose just yet.

"For those who did not pass, I apologize. I hope you enjoyed your stay in the castle," King Crypton finished.

I looked over at Rin. Her eyes were filled with determination. I admired Rin's hope to the point where I started to feel more confident. I smiled a little and looked back at the stage.

Prince Kaito cleared his throat and announced, "I'm sorry to inform the following people. They did not make it into the next round."

I listened as he called out unfamiliar names and scanned the ballroom to see many confident faces disappear. Prince Kaito finished off the names and took a step back to allow Prince Len announce who wasn't going to pass his round. A wave of relief fell over me. Now, I felt worried about Rin.

I could feel the fear that radiated off of her. Rin's determined look was less present in her azure orbs. The sobs of those who didn't pass weren't helping her keep a cool facade. Prince Len read the names out and more sobs were heard in the room.

Len opened his mouth to call out the last name. Rin fists seemed to be trembling now.

"Rin," he called.

My little blonde friend seemed to be shattered by this. Her hands flew to her mouth and she started to tear up. I was tempted to get on the stage and punch the blonde prince for making a stupid decision.

Instead of following my evil plan, I walked towards Rin and brought her into a hug. "I'm sorry. It was my fault to enter you into the competition," I whispered.

Rin shook her head and mumbled, "It's fine."

It was clear that she wasn't. I turned my head towards the stage and shot Len a glare. I didn't care if he saw it or not. I was sure he could feel my anger. While curling my hands into fists, I made hand motions to represent the universal sign of 'You're Dead'.

Meiko seemed as furious as I was and pulled Len aside. She looked over the list and smacked Len on the back of the head when she was done reading it. He put his hands up in surrender and walked back towards the microphone.

"I'm sorry for this interruption, but there has been a mistake," Len frantically let out.

Rin looked up at the stage warily. I was sure that she didn't want to listen to any more of this. I turned her head away from the stage and petted her head for comfort.

Len smiled sheepishly, "Rin Kagamine is actually still in the competition." He scanned the crowd to find her.

I didn't know whether I imagined it or not. For a moment there, I thought I saw Len's smile drop a little as he saw Rin disappointed and facing away from the stage.

"Ria Kagane is not," he said while returning his glance to the main crowd of people. "I'm sorry," he finished before leaving the stage.

Rin whipped her head around and gaped at the stage. After a few seconds, she slowly smiled.

"I was worried," I said letting out a sigh of relief.

Rin shrugged, "I wasn't that worried."

I raised an eyebrow, "Is that so?"

She didn't respond back.

We watched as King Crypton was replaced by Meiko who was holding two envelopes.

"As you all know, the final dances will now take place," she gestured towards Kaito and started opening the envelope, "Prince Kaito has decided to dance with… Miku Hatsune!"

A round of applause burst throughout the room. I could feel the eyes of everyone in the room on me. The cameras zoomed in on my face and I gave them a charming smile in return.

Meiko tapped the microphone and the attention turned back towards her. She opened up the other envelope, "Prince Len has decided to dance with... Gumi Megpoid!"

I turned to see Rin's expression fall a little, but she didn't seem to be in despair. After going through a big shock, this probably didn't seem like much.

After the servants had reset the room for the final dance, Rin turned towards me."Don't trip, Miku," she ordered, " And good luck."

I stuck my tongue out at her playfully and made my way towards the stage. My nerves were flaring. The cameras turned and zoomed towards us.

As I approached the main dance floor, Kaito held out a hand. I took it and the dance begun. The orchestra played louder now and the room quieted down. The lights dimmed and the spotlight was pointed at the two dances.

I gulped. Having a conversation about me was good, but too much attention would be a problem.

Kaito squeezed one of my hands and I looked up. "You're doing fine," he said reassuring me.

I nodded and relaxed. For now, I could only enjoy, not get paranoid.

"So, why me?" I asked after a moment.

He smiled, "I liked the time we shared the most, even though it was the shortest. Besides, you're very interesting."

I took that into mind. Interesting wasn't a negative word, but it wasn't a positive one either.

"Thank you," I said, taking it as a compliment anyway.

He leaned in close to me and whispered, "So, since we didn't get to chat, would you mind if I ask you some questions?"

I shook my head, "Not at all. Shoot."

"What's your favorite color?" he questioned.

"Teal." I answered immediately.

"Food?"

"Leeks!" I sang.

"What do you think about your blonde friend?"

"She's absolutely adorable." I replied.

"Do you have a crush on me?"

"Yes," I replied, freezing when I realized what he had done.

Kaito held a smug expression on his face and was looking pleased. I turned away, unable to face him as my face started to heat up. I had been tricked by the prince. Taking in deep breaths, I managed to cool myself down from this shame. Although I knew it was childish, I decided to ignore him for a bit.

"Miku, look at me!" he complained.

I looked away. Pretending not to hear anything he said, I faked interest with the audience at the side. He wasn't going act as he pleased this time! I was going to get him back.

Kaito pouted and tried to make eye contact with me. I turned my face away from him once again. We repeated this process a few times until he finally gave up. Instead, he was smart and took a different route.

"To think I was going to give you a buffet of leek dishes," he mused.

I couldn't help myself and turned by instinct, "Really?"

Kaito chuckled and I glared at him once I realized my mistake. I cursed my leek-loving nature, but immediately took it back since I knew I wouldn't be able to live without my scrumptious leeks. He pretended to look uninterested with this deal and said, "Well, if you want me to, I can."

"Yes, please!" I exclaimed.

He nodded with a small smile, "I'll keep that in mind."

I shook my head, "You're sneaky, Prince Kaito. Baiting a girl with her favorite food."

He looked at me slightly annoyed, "Says the girl who's letting herself be baited by delicious meals."

I narrowed my eyes, "Touche, my prince."

Kaito's smug smile returned and I looked away. I was still flustered from the comment. He was good at comebacks! I used to think that I was the only one who could win at arguments. Well, most of my petty arguments were against Rin. Rin sucked at arguing and convincing.

Thoughts about Rin led me to look over to her table. I saw her sitting at her isolated table alone again. She was playing around with her food. I frowned. I couldn't stand to see her looking so upset all alone.

"Go," Kaito said surprising me. He gave me a kind smile. "You want to be with your friend, don't you?"

"I don't want to her to be alone," I answered. I didn't want him to think that I didn't enjoy his company.

Kaito looked down at the ground and muttered, "I understand." He tilted his head slightly to the side as though he were thinking. "I got a proposition for you."

I gestured for him to continue with a little headnod. Kaito sighed, "It may sound cheesy, but I don't want to let you go just yet. Would it be alright if we asked her to join us for the remainder of the party?"

The prince was kinder than I thought. I grinned, "That would be just great."

The rest of the night passed by quickly. Rin was surprised when we called out to her. She protested to join us at first. I thought she was afraid that she'd ruin my chances with the prince. Eventually, she agreed. The three of us spent most of the night talking.

Rin didn't seem to hold any ill feeling towards Kaito. Surprisingly, they immediately hit it off. It was odd, but I wasn't complaining. It was nice to see Rin react positively to a member of royalty.

"I'm tired!" Rin complained as we walked back to our rooms.

I nodded in agreement. I wasn't a stranger to the lack of sleep, but the party was enough to tire me out. I couldn't wait to slip into my covers and take a nice long rest.

We reached our doors shortly and quickly unlocked them. "Night, Miku!" Rin called out while opening her door.

"Night, Rin," I mumbled, heading inside my room.

I turned on the lights and headed towards the closet to change into something more comfortable. There was a white silky night gown hung on the rack. It wasn't what I normally wore, but it seemed more appropriate for sleeping than the dress was. I quickly changed and stretched. The material was smooth and soft. It was perfect.

The bed was enormous. As soon as I turned off the lights, I flopped onto it and pulled the puffy blanket around me. I closed my eyes to reflect on the past events that occurred that day. It took only a few minutes to fall into sweet dreams.


	8. The Garden

**Hello people! I'm back with another chapter! I would like to inform you all that Flame was unable to edit this chapter. This was due to the workload she has. She will be replying to your reviews next time. Since it is the end of the year, both of us are preparing for our exams. Due to this, I will most likely not be able to update a chapter for this month or the next. I apologize for that. Also, I would like to thank my awesome Chia Seed for editing this chapter. Thank you so much for your help. **

**As always, Thank you to everyone who Followed and Favorited this story. It always makes me really happy to see that people are reading what a write. :) Special thanks to ****Ashe Corinthos, Clockwork Marionette, Aurorawolf668, Vocaloids X Otaku Nekomimi, Dragonmorph, whatithinklikeit, Okamigamergirl, and Missy Missy Bounce for reviewing. You guys are amazing!**

**Ashe Corinthos: Thanks! I have so much planned for those two. It'll be really fun to write it all down!**

**Clockwork Marionette: Trust me. He was. xD I first thought of the idea when I started the story. I thought it would be hilarious. It was pretty fun writing it down. ...Maybe xD**

**Aurorawolf668: Thank you! I hope you continue to enjoy it!**

**Vocaloids X Otaku Nekomimi: Ahh no! Rin doesn't have any romantic feeling for Len at this point. I tried to portray that she doesn't think he's terrible anymore. Instead, she's seeing him in a somewhat different light. That's mostly thanks to how he acted during their interview, Meiko, and Kaito. I suppose it seemed like she was falling for him. She was just meant to get flustered, since she wasn't used to this treatment. Sorry! Hope that cleared that up!**

**Dragonmorph: I'm so happy that you have enjoyed what i've written so far! I've read so many fanfics with Rin and Miku having a rivalry so I decided against it. I thought they would have an amazing relationship as friends. There will be plenty of drama in the story. It was originally planned just for Rin and Len, but I have been planning a lot for Miku and Kaito as well. I hope you enjoy what is yet to come. :)**

** whatithinklikeit: Thank you so much! I can assure you that this fanfic will last a while. If not, then it will most likely resume as a sequel. :) I've got so many things planned at this moment that I don't know if I will be able to finish early, even if I wanted to. xD**

**Okamigamergirl: Thank you so much! I appreciate the feedback! **

**Missy Missy Bounce: Yep, Poor Rinny indeed. I feel so mean, because I have so much planned for her and the rest of them in the future :). As for the list, Len was just being a bad reader xD. **

* * *

Oliver beamed at us from in front of the giant movable blackboard. "You did well yesterday." He commented, with a nod of his head. He turned to the tealette, "Especially you Miku."

Miku flushed from the attention and shook her head in denial, "I didn't do any better than Rin. I just got lucky." She said, shrugging.

I knew she was just being modest. "Oh, be quiet Miku. We all know you made a good impression on the prince." I teased.

She flushed, once again, and shook her head. I rolled my eyes, with a smile. I was happy for her and I hoped that this would last. From what I had seen last night, Kaito wasn't a bad person. He was actually quite kind. Miku and him would make a cute goofy couple.

Oliver nodded and turned on the TV. We were watching a recording of yesterday's grand ball. According to Oliver, it would help us correct our flaws or find ways to further improve the things that we were good at. He forwarded the CD to the part where Miku and I were introduced. As I stated before, Miku held a dazzling smile. I was surprised to see that mine wasn't that bad. I could work on it, but it more or less looked realistic. I smiled, pleased that I didn't mess that up like I thought I did.

I scribbled down _Better Smile_ on the small notepad that Oliver had handed us, when we first entered the room, and turned my attention back to the screen. The perky reporter continued to move around to different contestants with surprising speed. Oliver had told us to also write notes about them too. This way we would know our competitors good points and bad points. I wrote a few lines down on the opponents that seemed like serious competition. Tei seemed like a polite and well-mannered individual. She mostly talked to high officials and a few nobles who eagerly approached her. Coming from royal blood had it's perks. Gumi seemed to be somewhat reserved. She was on her phone reading something at the beginning of the party. She opened up around the middle of it and interacted well with the other contestants. Neru tried to act like she didn't think much of the party, but it was still apparent that she was very excited to be there. I wrote some notes on a few of the others too, but those three seemed to have the most admirers.

I diverted my attention to what the contestants did and more to what the nobles were doing. You couldn't hear what most of them were saying, but you could easily see what they did or didn't like from their facial expressions and gestures. I observed their movements, as Miku and I walked towards the two lines. Some of them smiled, but most of them looked at us in distaste or shook their head in disbelief, as though they didn't understand why people like us were there. I frowned, hoping that the rest of the country didn't share their opinion of us.

Sighing, I looked out the open window, momentarily taking a break from watching the video. The weather outside was pleasant. Cool summer breezes occasionally made their way into the spacious room. The long silky cream curtains swayed as the wind played around with them. Cheerful chirps of birds were heard from the window. I longed to take a long walk around the castle. My eyes flickered towards Oliver, when I remembered what Prince Kaito had stated. I needed an escort. He would most likely let me walk around the castle as long as I behaved today. I smiled at the thought and continued to enthusiastically scribble notes.

I walked up to Oliver once we were done with todays lesson. I had asked Miku to join me for a walk, but she politely declined. I was a bit disappointed, but I didn't want to ruin my mood.

"Something wrong Rin?" Oliver asked, when I approached him.

I shook my head. "I was wondering if I was allowed to go outside and walk around the castle." I asked.

A small wave of surprise came across the blonde's features as he slowly nodded, "Of course Rin." He gave a short pause, as he seemed to think it over in his head. Finally he nodded. "My schedules free for this afternoon. I'll take you out of the castle."

I big smile formed across my face and I gave Oliver a hug, "Ollie I love you!" I squealed, with happiness. I released him after a moment and found him with a slightly flushed face. I blinked for a second, before grinning. Had I just made Oliver blush? I contemplated whether or not to tease him a little more. I decided I might as well. I tilted my head, ever so slightly and leaned closer to his face, "Hey Ollie, why's your face pink?" I asked innocently. My acting skills worked their charms. Oliver quickly pulled back away from me, getting more flustered by the minute. I had to admit, I found it cute.

"M-my face isn't pink!" he stuttered, embarrassed. He cleared his throat, attempting to compose himself. "I-I just...just…" He looked around the room, trying to think of a good excuse.

"Just?" I asked, with the same innocent tone. My expression held a realistic obliviousness to it.

"N-never mind." Oliver muttered, stuttering once again. His face was now a pretty shade of scarlet. I held back a giggle and nodded.

"I'm going to go change into more comfortable clothes." I informed, before finally sparing him from my antics. I made my way towards my room and wondered if the three girls had left me any casual clothes to wear. Something other than a dress would have been divine. I opened the lock and went into my room. It had only been a couple of days since I arrived here, but I was getting more used to the room. I would have liked it better if it had been a faint orange color, but I wasn't complaining about my accomodations. They were more than I could have ever asked for.

My thoughts drifted around the idea of me winning and staying here, but I would have to be very lucky for that to happen. I sighed and walked into the closet. As I expected, most of the casual wear were just less fancy dresses. I sighed and pulled out a yellow knee-length summer dress and put it on. After a couple of days of wearing dresses non stop, I would have given almost anything to wear a comfy pair of jeans. Maybe I could ask Meiko about it later.

I opened the door to see Oliver waiting nearby. I noticed that he had changed into more comfortable clothes as well. His usual crisp white suit was replaced by a pair of black shorts and white t-shirt. He noticed me and straightened up from his casual position of leaning against the wall. "Hey' he said offering me a smile.

I took it and smiled back. "Does the castle have a garden or anything" I asked as I walked over to him. I loved any type of vegetation. Being around it helped calm me. An image of a farm briefly flashed across my mind before I quickly pushed the thought away.

Oliver brightened up at my question and nodded, "We do." he said. "It's absolutely beautiful," he added. He started walking to what I guessed was the direction of the garden.

I grinned, eager to see it. "How big is it?" I asked.

A smirk appeared on the blond boys face, "You'll know once you see it," he said.

I could feel myself growing more interested. My curiosity always seemed to get the best of me, "Just tell me now," I pleaded.

Oliver shook his head and grinned, "Nope" he said, popping the P.

I puffed my cheeks out in frustration, "Fine, but walk faster. I want to see it soon." I muttered.

He chucked and nodded, picking up his pace. I watched as it got faster and faster, until it turned into a run. I gaped at him. Was he allowed to do this in the castle? I remembered that Meiko had ran with me before too. Were people who worked at the castle given special privileges? The boy turned around after he was a good 20 feet away from me. "Are you coming Rin? I'd hate to leave you behind" He said, a smirk was plastered onto his face.

I kicked my shoes off and held them in my hand. My competitive spirit kicked in. "You're an idiot Oliver," I yelled.

He rose a brow, still holding the smirk, "I thought you loved me Rin." He stated.

I blinked, surprised to see that used against me. I rolled my eyes and positioned myself to run. The boy wasn't going to get away that easily. The blonde seemed to sense my next move, because he turned around and continued running. I groaned as the distance between us got further and sprinted towards him.

Oliver turned around to check on me, only to find a me hot on his trail. My breath started to grow heavy once I got close to him and my speed slowly diminished. I was known to be fast, but I didn't have enough stamina.

"Caught up." I said, before having a fit of coughs. When I collected my breath, I made my way over to his side. "I hope I didn't do all that running for nothing." I grumbled.

He opened a door, "I think you'll quite like what you see." he said, holding a grin.

I watched as the old wooden door creaked open to reveal what was on the otherside. I was instantly enchanted with what I saw. The tiny wooden door led outside to a rose garden. The vines had wrapped themselves around high arches. The roses began a dark crimson color. They seemed to brighten along the path, turning into varying hues of pink. I turned back to Oliver who stood under the door, which had as assortment of vines wrapped around it. "Liking what you see?" he asked.

I grinned, "Maybe."

He rolled his eyes, "Mhmm" He looked at the rose garden. "There's more further along the path," he added.

I nodded and started walking further along the path, "I hope I don't leave you behind Oliver." I sang, craning my head back to see his expression

Oliver shook his head and jogged over to me. I continued to look at the roses and watched as they started turning into shades of coral, peach, and orange. It looked splendid.

"Did you know each color means something?" Oliver said, trying to make conversation.

I raised a brow, pointing to a peach one. "What does that one mean?" I asked.

"Peach roses stand for appreciation, closing deals, getting together, and sincerity." He answered.

I started to grow more interested, "What about that one?" I said pointing to an orange rose.

"Orange roses represent excitement, desire, and enthusiasm." he stated.

More colors came into sight and I was eager to find out about them. Yellow, white, and lavender roses seemed to bring the arching path to a close. "What does the yellow one represent?" I asked.

"Which yellow one?" Oliver asked.

I stared at him in confusion.

"There are two types" he explained. He pointed to a flower. "If you look closely, you can see that the flower has red tips." He pointed to another yellow rose, "That one on the other hand doesn't"

I slowly nodded. "I see" I pointed to the one with red tips. "Alright then, what does that mean?"

"That one stands for friendship and falling in love." he said.

"What about the other yellow one?" I asked.

"The one without red tips stands for joy, delight, friendships, welcome backs, and new beginnings." he said. He looked at the last two roses anticipating my coming questions. "The white rose stands for purity, innocence, silence, secrecy, and heavenly things. The lavender flower stands for love at first sight and enchantment."

I nodded. I remembered that my 12th grade english teacher had given a lavender rose to everyone in our grade. I wondered if he knew exactly what the flower's color meant. If he did… I shook my head, pushing away the disturbing thought.

"Most people don't know what the colors stand for." Oliver said, as if reading my thoughts. "Nobles are usually educated on them so they present the right flower arrangement for the right occasion."

"So there'll be different flowers depending on the occasion?" I asked.

Oliver nodded, "Yea there are different flowers and colors. Of course there are other factors that determine what kind of flower arrangement will be placed as well."

"Do I need to remember this?" I asked, jokingly.

Oliver took it seriously. "It would be a good idea actually. I suppose I should inform Miku of this as well."

I sighed and watched at the rose arches lead to another part of the garden. The area was decorated like a traditional japanese zen garden. Rocks of all sizes were positioned all over the vast expanse of land. The sand around them was wonderfully raked. Ripples were beautifully crafted around the stones. I couldn't help, but stare at it. I felt oddly at ease here.

"Nice, isn't it?" Oliver asked.

"How big is this place?" I asked looking to my left and right. I couldn't see where the garden ended.

Oliver grinned, "Let's just say you've hit the tip of the iceberg"

I felt a giddy feeling bubble inside of me. "What are we waiting for? Let's go then!" I declared marching forward.

Oliver followed. "Do you even know where you're going?" He asked, amused.

I shook my head. "Nope, but that's what makes it fun," I stated.

"I seriously wonder how I got stuck with the both of you, he said, shaking his head.

I smiled and continued walking down the path. "Do a lot of people come here often?"

Oliver nodded, "Sometimes."

I paused, "Are we allowed to be here?" I asked, suddenly feeling nervous.

"Yes and no." Oliver answered, not looking at all fazed.

"No?" I asked.

"Most people aren't allowed to enter the garden. Only a select few are. I'm one of those select few." Oliver explained.

I let out a sigh of relief, "So I'm allowed to be here?"

Oliver shrugged, "I never said that."

"What?!" I asked in horror.

Oliver burst out laughing and I sent him a glare. "The look on your face Rin." he breathed.

I had half a mind to strangle the boy, but I decided that it would cause too much trouble. I'd let him be for now.

"Shut up." I muttered.

"Sorry" he apologized, once he regained his breath.

"It's fine." I replied, grumpily.

Oliver didn't look convinced, but he didn't say anything. We continued forward. I carefully moved in the tiny stone path, not wanting to destroy the elegantly created design. We started moving to the next area. This part of the garden was decorated like a hedge maze. Excited to see something new one again, I picked up my pace to explore the new area.

"This place is amazing" I murmured, turning around to face Oliver. I froze when I saw that he wasn't behind me. Instead there were a multiple passageways that possibly lead back to where I came from.

I groaned and tried heading back. "Oliver?" I called out, hoping that he was somewhere nearby. I couldn't have gone that far into the labyrinth. I bit my lip out of nervousness, when I heard no reply. "Oliver?" I called louder than before. My throat was starting to feel dry and fear slowly creeped across my thoughts. "Hey Oliver?" I called, my anxiety was starting to show in my voice.

Someone lightly tapped my shoulder and I jumped up in fright, letting out a shriek. I heard footsteps retreat from my sudden yelp. "Are you alright young lady?" a deep voice asked, nervously.

I turned around, hoping that I wouldn't get in trouble for being out in the garden alone. "Yea. I'm lost though." I answered back.

A man with purple hair looked at me kindly, "I could assist you back to the castle, if you like." He offered.

"I was actually with someone" I said, looking behind me. I hoped that Oliver would magically pop out of one of the hedges.

The purple haired man rose a brow. "I see…" he said, looking in the same direction. I started to sweat. Could a walk around the garden cost me to be disqualified? If it did, was there no hope of me staying?

The nobleman seemed to sense my worry, because he tried to help me out, "What's the name of the person who you were with?" He asked.

"Oliver." I answered.

He seemed to be surprised to hear this, "Does this man have bandages covering an eye?" he asked.

I nodded, starting to feel less worried. "Yes."

The purple-haired man nodded and got out his cellphone. He quickly dialed a number and waited for the call to be picked up. After a few minutes of talking he put the phone away and smiled. "He'll be here shortly" he reassured me. I nodded. I felt my shoulders relax.

Footsteps approached from behind me and I turned around expecting to see a blond. Instead, a pink haired beauty approached us. When she caught sight of me her eyes rose in surprise and she shot a questionable look to the man with purple hair.

"After looking for you for an hour, I find you with another girl?" She said. Irritation was leaking into her voice. I shivered as I felt her glare.

The purple haired man, who seemed to be so calm, was suddenly nervous. "I-It isn't what it looks like Luka." he said, backing away.

Luka rose a brow, "Then what does it look like Gakupo?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips.

Gakupo was about to reply when Oliver ran over. He caught sight of the two nobles and bowed. He turned towards the woman, "Princess Luka." Then towards the man, "Prince Gakupo." Finally, his attention turned towards me, "I hope I haven't caused you too much trouble." he apologized. Oliver seemed displeased and I was pretty sure that I was the reason behind it. I cringed.

Both royals scrunched their noses at the sound of their names. The woman, Princess Luka, calmed down in his presence, "What are you talking about Oliver?"

Prince Gakupo took a step forward. He gestured towards me, "This young lady was taking a stroll with Oliver, before they got separated. She was lost and I, being the gentlemen I am, was helping her find him."

Luka glanced at me momentarily. "I see," she said.

Gakupo regained his confidence and smirked. "Why, were you jealous?" he asked smugly.

Luka flushed pink. "Be quiet. I'm still angry at you. You missed an important meeting Gakupo." she muttered.

Gakupo blinked. "That was today?" he asked, innocently.

The princess let out a frustrated groan. She turned to me, "I'm sorry for my rude behavior" She said, giving me a sheepish look. She turned back to the prince, "We must be going now. I'll catch you up on what happened." she said, dragging him behind her.

The purple haired man turned towards me, "It was nice meeting you." he said, before disappearing behind a hedge.

I watched as they left and nervously turned back to Oliver who watched me with his hand crossed. I gulped. "Sorry." I let out weakly.

Oliver sighed, "You're lucky you got caught by Gakupo. If you got caught by anyone else, you would have probably been disqualified."

I nodded, feeling guilty. Oliver analyzed me before sighing, "I'm not mad, besides I'm at fault too." He said. "I expect good things from both you and Miku. It would be nice to see you two win and as your teacher I would be very proud. Please give me a reason to feel proud."

I nodded, feeling even worse. If I had done something bad, It would most likely go back to Oliver. I didn't want to cause him any trouble. Oliver seemed pleased with my reaction and nodded. "Let's go back."

I felt disappointed, but it's not like I expected much. "Alright." I paused, "Can we come back here again?" I asked, hopefully.

Oliver gave me a small smile, "Of course."


	9. Big Brother

**Hello people! I'm back with another chapter! Thank you all for patiently waiting~ Also, Thanks for getting this story 50 reviews! Your reviews always make me very happy and motivate me to continue, so I really appreciate it! ^^**

**IMPORTANT:**

**Since this is a story where a contest takes place, I thought it would be more interesting and better if the pairs were not decided automatically. It would be more to fun to see the pairs grow and develop that way. I've decided to create two polls. The polls will features the ladies that Kaito and Len may choose. Depending on your votes, I will shift the story a little towards the winning contestant/person. I'd like to add that females Len and Kaito pick do not need to be a contestant. For example, If you would like to choose a vocaloid like Meiko for Kaito, feel free to do so! Also, characters who are not introduced yet will also be included in the poll. If you have any vocaloid that you believe would be a great addition to the story. Please PM me and I'll decide whether or not I'll incorporate them. A new pole will be created every time a new chapter comes out. Please vote~**

**WARNING: **

**Just in case. If anyone watches/reads Naruto and is not caught up with the latest episodes or chapters, Skip over the beginning of Len's POV. It deals with things that happen in Naruto Gaiden. If you are not familiar with Gaiden, you may skip over it as well. **

**REVIEWS:**

**Aurorawolf668****: Thank you so much! 3**

**Clockwork Marionette****: Thank you for taking the time to review! Ollie may have a little crush on Rinny. I don't blame him. She's adorable. ….Maybe XD**

**Flame of Scarlet****: Thank you! Because Len can be an idiot sometimes XD**

**i love pink: Thank you~ It was a long wait, but I'm back and I have more coming**

**Guest: Yep! Luka and Gakupo will be important!**

**Lolly1o1****: I thought about it, but I thought it would be too early. Thank you~**

**Melody of Space** **: I'm glad you found the story again! Thank you for reading!**

* * *

**FLAME'S MESSAGE TO THE PUBLIC:**

**Sorry, I haven't been helping Kunoichi much, work is horrible. We both had a lot to do over the summer, and I wasn't much of a help.**

**It's been a long time, and I hope you like the story. I don't know where Kunoichi is going with it, but I'll help make the story better for you all hehe.**

**Len is cool. Kaito is awesome.**

**I don't know people, I feel like I've been drifting away from anime and Vocaloid this past summer. Anything that can bring me back?**

* * *

**General POV**

Gakupo Kamui sat frustrated in his room, surrounded by stacks of papers that he had neglected over the past few weeks. He had thought that he could get away with doing it later. So much for procrastinating. It was a good thing that he was amazing at getting work finished quickly. He composed himself and grabbed the first pile of papers that he saw. It was also great that he had a photographic memory.

When he was younger, the country had recognized him as a prodigy. Gakupo was able to speak four languages, play three instruments, and he excelled in all his classes at only the age of 6. His parents were more than proud. Currently, he was viewed as intelligent, calm, and reliable. Gakupo was exactly the man the country wanted and needed.

Gakupo scanned through the papers and took serious notes. In merely two hours, his room was void of any work. He smiled to himself and stretched his stiff muscles. The purple haired man was free for the rest of the day. He could probably enjoy it with Luka.

However, another idea entered Gakupo's mind. He could take his younger brothers out of the castle. They didn't have many chances to get out of isolated area. He hadn't associated with them recently, but they were never extremely close. Most days out of the week, Gakupo didn't have the time to be with them. His father had high expectations for him. King Crypton would work the young man to exhaustion most days. Since the king's attention was now directed to the two younger princes, Gakupo seemed to have time to spare.

Once he heard the golden door knob twist, his head snapped towards the direction of the door. Luka entered with her pink hair in a cute messy bun. She wore a pair of shorts and a graphic T-shirt, causing him to raise a brow. She smiled when she saw his reaction. "What? Don't like what you see?" the young princess asked, shooting him a winning pose.

Gakupo chuckled and shook his head, "You know I always think you look beautiful, Mrs. Tuna. I'm just surprised." He watched her reaction unfold, "It's a good kind of surprise, for a good measure."

Luka grinned, "Nice save, Mr. Eggplant." She closed the door gently behind her and walked over to the front of his desk. She placed her hands on the table as her blue eyes scanned the nicely organized table. "Looks like you've caught up with everything?" she asked.

Gakupo stared at his desk. "Nope. I just put them in the trash shoot," he remarked, sarcastically.

Luka frowned and flicked his forehead lightly, "You can stop with the sarcasm, honey."

"Luka!" the man whined, rubbing the area of his head, as though it hurt real bad.

The princess tried to hide her smile and moved next to him. "Sorry dear," she apologized, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Gakupo kissed her cheek, "I'll let it go, because you did it."

Luka gave him one of her genuine smiles and kissed his cheek as well. "Thank you, Mr. Eggplant. I appreciate it." She paused for a moment, "Can I ask you a favor?"

Gakupo shifted his body, showing that he was giving all of his attention, "Anything." The little gentlemanly actions that the man performed showed his dedication to his princess.

Luka noticed and smiled warmly. "I want to visit my family in the suburbs today. Is that alright?" she asked.

Gakupo tilted his head thoughtfully. "They won't keep you for too long, will they?" he questioned back.

"What will you do if they do decide to keep me away from you?" Luka said curiously.

"I would deploy the entire police force to snatch you back," Gakupo replied smugly, crossing his arms as though that was a genius idea. It was quick and efficient after all.

Luka shook her head while grinning. "Oye! Don't go causing trouble for my family! They're already stalked by a bunch of weirdos nowadays. I even have to disguise myself in order to visit them," she stated.

Gakupo chuckled, "Fine, fine. Go visit them. I was thinking about taking the children out to play, anyways."

Luka blinked. "You all are going out?" she asked surprised.

Gakupo nodded, "They haven't had a chance to get out of the castle in months. I think i'll give them an opportunity."

Luka smiled, as if she feeling sympathetic. She ruffled his long hair, messing it up in the process. "You're hair is so fun to play with!" she exclaimed.

Gakupo frowned. He knew his soon-to-be wife was doing it as a loving gesture, but he'd now have to redo it.

Luka glanced at her watch and frowned, "Looks like it is going to cause problems, if I don't leave now." She gave Gakupo a final peck and walked towards the door. " Anyway, be good to them! Have fun! See you later!" she called, as she left the room.

**Len POV**

* * *

"Wow," Kaito mumbled as he read the most recent Naruto Gaiden chapters on his phone.

"What happened?" I asked, though I was not truly interested.

"Sarada's mom isn't Sakura…" He said frowning.

I jumped out of my seat and stole his phone. "What?" I asked, scanning through the chapter. I found the page which he was talking about. "Oh my…"

Kaito nodded, "Read the next few chapters. You'll feel a little better."

I nodded and sped through it. My eyes scanned the pages carefully, grabbing onto any little detail that could give me some hope that Sakura was the real mother. Kaito watched, somewhat amused.

"Feeling better?" Kaito asked.

I shot him a slightly annoyed glare. "Partially. I just really wanted Sakura to be the mom."

Kaito smirked, "Did you ship them or something?"

"Possibly. They were really cute," I stated, not feeling ashamed at all.

Kaito laughed, "You're such a shota Len!"

"Shut up, Bakaito." I muttered, feeling my cheeks flush a bit.

He grinned, "Don't fret little one. There is still hope. We don't know whose DNA was used for sure, until an adult explains it." He paused, analyzing me. "You must have fangirled when Sasuke referred to Sakura as his wife," he teased.

"Maybe a little," I said, sticking my tongue out.

Kaito continued to laugh on the couch. I watched not amused at all. I didn't usually care for these things, but I took this seriously.

I continued to look through his phone and found that Kaito hadn't downloaded the last chapter. I clicked on it to read it and waited until it loaded up. Scanning through the pages quickly once again, I felt the tips of my mouth curve up. Kaito was right. The mother really wasn't Karin. It was Sakura!

I threw Kaito his phone. "Read the last chapter," I ordered, while internally doing a little happy dance.

The blue haired boy blinked and scrolled through his phone to find it. He smiled, as well, after around three minutes. "That was a satisfying ending," he stated. Kaito slouched into the couch and started going through his phone again, looking through for other things that he could read.

A knock on the door triggered us to sit up straight. Kaito motioned for me to open the door. I quickly straightened my tie and did so.

Gakupo stood on the other side of the door, looking at his watch. He looked up, when the door opened completely and greeted me with a small nod of acknowledgment. "May I enter?" he asked politely.

I nodded, speechless to see him here. Our big brother wasn't the type to sit around and chat all day. Sure, he sometimes skipped meetings and such, but he was usually skipping for one important reason to another. Though it was wrong to show favoritism, it was clear that our father liked him the best.

Gakupo settled himself on a chair opposite to the couch that we were sitting on. "Sit down," he offered, when he noticed me standing. It was odd how he could easily control the atmosphere of the room. Tension seemed to be omnipresent. I glanced at Kaito who sat with perfect posture. I slipped into the position too. It wasn't anything new to us. This is what we were expected to do.

"I finished my work for the day and Luka's unavailable. I thought I would spend it with you two. Of course, I need your consent for that," Gakupo stated, watching us curiously.

Kaito and I exchanged confused looks. I wondered what our big brother had in mind. "I'm free for the day," Kaito said, before I could muster my reply.

"Me too," I added awkwardly.

Gakupo looked pleased with our responses. "Piko and Oliver are also coming with us. I invited them before I arrived here." he informed, before he stood up from the chair. "Go get dressed up in your disguises. Wear something casual. Something that you wouldn't mind getting unkempt. We'll be leaving in an hour. Meet me at the front of the castle." he ordered.

We nodded solemnly. Gakupo gave us another quick polite smile, before exiting the room. The door shut gently behind him. We waited a few seconds to make sure the coast was clear. Then, we relaxed back into our seats.

"What do you think he wants?" I asked frowning. It was rare of Gakupo to interact with us. He was usually too busy to do so. The only time we usually saw him was at dinner or other important meals.

Kaito sighed, "I dunno." He looked at his watch, "Let's get going. We need to get dressed."

I saluted in agreement and stood up. "I'll see you in an hour," I said, waving a goodbye. I walked out of one of the multiple doors and started heading towards my room, through the long hallways.

When I walked into my room, I made my way into the large walk-in-closet. It was more or less it's own chamber. A pair of faded brown shorts and a old white T-shirt caught my attention and I quickly changed into them. I grabbed a thin grey jacket to go with it.

I opened up a slidable closet and looked at the assortment of wigs that I had. It may have seemed odd, but it was easier to pretend to be someone else and go out of the castle rather than be the prince and walk out of the castle. I picked a black wig that was styled similarly to my usual hairstyle and grabbed a pair of golden contact lenses. "Looks good," I mumbled to myself as I adjusted the wig in front of the mirror.

I looked at my watch, twenty minutes had passed since Gakupo had ordered us to meet him. I contemplated seeing Meiko to do my make-up. It would make my disguise more foolproof, but Gakupo indicated that we were going to get dirty anyway. I scrapped the idea. It would have been a waste of time.

I sighed and started making my way towards the entrance. Knowing Oliver, he was probably there early. I could could hang out with him for a while before the others arrived.

"Len!" someone called from behind me.

I gulped and started to pick up my pace. The voice belonged to a female. How did they get into this part of the castle? How did they know where I was? What was wrong with women? Well, they were one thing in the world that never made sense to me.

"LEN!" she called again, her voice growing closer.

I hesitantly turned around, but the girl had already reached me. It was Meiko. Her breath was heavy from running.

"Seriously. I can't believe it took you that long to stop," she said in between breaths. Meiko looked irritated, "I heard from Gakupo that you and Kaito were going out."

"And?" I asked, causing her to look even more angry.

"Gakupo wanted me to give you both final check-ups," she said. "After all, I am your stylist. You should have told me!" she insisted angrily.

I flinched from her outburst. Meiko was dedicated to her job. She constantly made sure that we looked perfect. Now, thanks to the competition, she must have been loaded with work. Meiko had more people to deal with, which led to more stress that came with the job.

"I'm sorry," I apologized. She didn't look satisfied, but she accepted the apology anyways.

"I captured Kaito a few minutes ago. He's in my room right now. I'm just going to do a few minor touch-ups here and there. Gakupo already told me where you're going. I won't do much," she said.

That caught my full attention. "Where?" I asked. My curiosity was getting the best of me. I wanted to mentally prepare myself for whatever our big brother was up to.

Meiko eyes twinkled. "You'll see," she said as she steered me to her office.

The brunette had two separate rooms. She used one of them to style the contestants. The other one was a secret room that we were currently using. There was a very Narnia-like door hidden inside the corner wardrobe. The door required you push a button on the top right. The button was disguised to look like a metal bolt.

Now that Meiko was also styling contestants, it was expected that she would be temporarily not styling us. This way she wouldn't be able to promote any contestant because of bias. From the look of it, Meiko had already become attached to her contestants, but she wouldn't give me or Kaito any information about them, other than information of who they were. This mildly irritated me, still I respected Meiko for keeping quiet about her contestants. It would have most likely been worse, if I had known information about them.

The fact that the prince's stylist was also styling two of the contestant, did not fare well with the other contestants and the nobles. The nobles had argued and spread rumors that this gave them an advantage over the other contestants. The two ladies seemed to be handling it well, though. At least from what I had seen, they hadn't snapped _yet_.

**Kaito POV**

* * *

"Meiko pleassee," begged a voice that was undoubtedly my younger brother.

"I'm not telling you Len. I didn't even tell Kaito," Meiko responded.

"Is it somewhere we've been to?" Len muttered, as they appeared from the hidden entrance.

"Not. Telling. You~" Meiko sang.

Len frowned and sat down in his chair. Meiko analyzed him and magically conjured up more than a few bobby pins from her pocket. She quickly adjusted his wig, making it look as though it was a natural part of him. She chewed her bottom lip, while she studied his clothes. "How old are these?" she asked. She looked impressed with his clothing choice. I frowned since she had made me change my clothes.

I looked at my reflection in the mirror. The brunette had given me a simple white button up shirt and a pair of comfortable denim jeans.

Len shrugged, "One, maybe two years ago?"

"The celebrity sports day?" the brunette inquired, smiling.

The blonde nodded. "Yeah, I think so," he said, looking nostalgic.

"That day was fun, wasn't it?" I asked, coming into their conversation. I was starting to feel left out.

Len rolled his eyes, "You're only saying that because you won most of the events, Kaito."

I grinned and reached to ruffle his hair. "Maybe," I said, leaning over.

Meiko grabbed my hand, just as I was about to make contact. She didn't look pleased. "Don't," she scolded. "You're going to mess up his disguise."

"Right…" I mumbled, awkwardly pulling my hand back.

"Bakaito..." she muttered under breath. She must have thought that I didn't hear her. My mischievous instincts kicked in. I wondered if Meiko would tell me where we were going if she had a little coaxing...

I pouted and tilted my head to the right. Puppy dog eyes mode was activated. T-1 seconds until take off.

"Mei-chan~ You don't really think i'm an idiot right?" I asked sweetly. Blast off had taken place.

Len rose a brow, entertained by my act. Meiko paused and looked at me, "Eh?"

"You don't think i'm an idiot right Mei-chan~" I repeated, smoothly leaning closer to her. Meiko blinked, her cheeks started to flush a bright pink.

"K-kaito…" She said, taking a step back. I kept myself from smiling. It seems like I had won the battle. Now it was my turn to ask her where we were going.

"Are you drunk?" she asked before I could interrogate her. Meiko's words hit me like a bullet. How could she misunderstand the situation? "What?" I asked, shocked.

Len burst into a fit of laughter. Meiko grabbed a water bottle and threw it towards me. "Drink some water," she ordered. "I don't want to deal with a drunk prince."

I wondered how that made sense, seeing that we usually dealt with a drunk stylist.

I turned to the shota for help, but he stuck his tongue out. "Serves you right for trying to do that," he snickered.

Meiko started adjusting my red wig, which was similar to my usual hairstyle. I noticed Len also did the same thing. I supposed we thought alike.

Meiko continued to chide me about not drinking, unless I was at a party or with adult supervision. I decided to ignore the chiding, seeing as I was the same age as her! Still, the brunette went on asking me questions about when I consumed alcohol in the last twenty four hours. I groaned. Today was definitely not going to be a good one...

**Len POV**

* * *

After Meiko had perfected our disguises, Kaito and I went our separate ways. Kaito had decided to stick around and argue with Meiko for a bit and I went off to find Oliver. As I had predicted, the boy was waiting for us to arrive.

Oliver was sitting down outside, near the steps, absorbed in reading a book. I plopped down next to him. "Is the book any good?" I asked, snapping him out of his deep trance.

He smiled when he saw me, "Yeah. I think you'd like it too."

Oliver offered me the book. I took it and flipped it over for the overview. The description sounded interesting enough. I handed the book back to him. "I think I'll give it a try," I said. He chuckled and put it beside him.

"How's the competition going? Are the contestants nice?" I asked. I was aware that he was helping a few.

"I think I got the weirdest couple," he laughed. I wondered what he meant by that, but I wasn't supposed to ask him. Even if I did, Oliver wouldn't have answered. He was the type to never let out a secret, even if it meant that his life would be taken. Course, there were ways around that. The boy was sometimes clumsy. He could let it slip without knowing it.

"Is that so…" I said. "Want to switch out?" I asked. It was a simple thing. Like Meiko, Oliver had many things on his plate already. I didn't want to overwork him.

The boy shook his head. "No. It's fine. They're good people at heart," He paused. "I like their company," he added, making it clear that he wanted to stick with them for a while.

I supposed he had already grown attached to his contestants, as well. I smiled, "Alright, but tell me if anything goes wrong."

Oliver nodded, "Course." The boy looked around, "Looks like we've got a some more time until everyone comes."

I sighed, "Seems like it."

"What to do? What to do?" Oliver asked, leaning against the castles whitish-grey marble walls.

"Gumi!" someone's shrill voice shouted from inside the castle. My interest piqued.

"I"m so sorry!" another voice apologized, whom I guessed was Gumi's. I peaked inside to see the green haired girl bowing deeply. Shattered pieces of china and glassware were scattered across the ground.

"I promise. I'll make it up to you Anne!" Gumi vowed.

Anne pressed her lips together and crossed her arms. "You better start making it up to me now, because those things cost a fortune," Anne growled.

Gumi flinched at her anger and scurried away. She came back a few moments later, holding a broom in her hand. Anne watched as the girl swept up the shards. The women caught me staring and shooed me away. "We'll need to talk later," she mouthed. I gulped and looked away. Anne could be scary at times.

"That's the girl you danced with. Right?" Oliver asked. He had also watched the little scene.

"Yeah." I said.

The pilot shot me a smile. "Interested in her?" he asked, nudging me lightly.

"She's pretty nice…" I started. Oliver's grin grew, as I uttered those words. I frowned and pushed him away. He was definitely getting the wrong idea. "But, you can't fall in love with someone you just met in one day, Ollie." I finished.

He grinned, "Ever heard of something called true love, Len?"

I sighed. "Shouldn't you be rooting for your girls?" I asked.

Oliver smiled, "I am~!" He glanced at Gumi, once again. "But I also want what's best for you, mate. If you think that one is, then I will support you."

"Thanks Ollie, but it's too early for me to decide. We still have a long way to go," I said, leaning my back against the cold marble.

Oliver grinned, "Good. That means that I can continue to root for my girls."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm starting to worry for them. I mean with a teacher like you...They're certainly doomed."

"I'll have you know that they're doing great," he jokingly pulled out his handkerchief and pretended to wipe away his tears. 'They're already making me so proud."

We paused before cracking up at the joke. "Seriously?" I asked, between breaths of laughter.

Oliver shrugged his shaking shoulders. "Sorry?" he apologized, catching his breath..

"What's so funny?" Kaito asked as he made his entrance. Meiko walked out behind him.

I shook my head, "Nothing." Oliver nodded in agreement beside me. If we involved Kaito in this conversation. He would make a bigger deal out of me dancing with Gumi. Still, I supposed I had my questions about that girl named Miku.

"Okay…" He said with doubt laced in his voice.

Oliver looked at the brunette, "Are you coming with us too, Meiko?"

Meiko shook head head, "Nope. You guys have fun. I'm going shopping with Miki."

As if on cue, Piko and Miki walked in holding hands. "Hey everyone!" Miki greeted, enthusiastically. Piko gave a small smile and nodded to us in acknowledgment.

"Piko told me you guys were going somewhere," she said, looking at us guys. "I hope you have fun~" she chirped. She gave Piko a quick peck on the kiss, before dashing next to Meiko's side.

"Shall we go?" she asked, cheerfully.

Meiko smiled and nodded, "Yep! We'll use my motorcycle today." The two walked towards the castles garage. Workers kept their vehicles there.

"When are we leaving?" Kaito asked, watching the two girls disappear.

"Whenever Gakupo comes." Oliver answered.

I started playing on my phone to keep myself busy, until my older brother arrived. I was starting to become nervous again. Wondering when he'd arrive, I glanced at my watch. The waiting game was the most dangerous of all. It made you more and more worried as each second passed.

A man with short blonde hair and sunglasses walked up to us. I didn't recognize him, until he flashed a familiar polite smile. I suddenly pulled Oliver's sleeve and forced him to stand up with me. Oliver blinked confused. The other two boys straightened themselves up, understanding my actions.

"Looks like you're all here." Gakupo commented. My brother wore a loose T-shirt and a pair of black shorts. He clapped his hands together. "Shall we start?" he asked.

We nodded in unison. I stared at Gakupo, wondering how he managed to fit his long purple locks under the wig. Meiko was truly a miracle worker.

My brother smiled and watched as a small van pulled up. It wasn't something we usually rode. The van was a faded red color. It's metel seemed alarmingly rusted. The vehicle had dried mud stains on the bottom, close to the tiers. The back of the car was dented in various places. I was relieved to see that the lights and tiers hadn't been damaged.

The chauffeur got out of the car and bowed deeply to us. He opened the seat next to his and Gakupo climbed in. The man then opened the seats in the back and allowed us to get in.

The interior of the car seemed freshly cleaned. Though the car was tinier than what I was used to, it was still comfortable. The car ride to our destination was silent. No one dared to speak a word in my older brother's presence during the two hour drive. Gakupo may not have been doing anything to intimidate us, but he gave off a frighteningly powerful aura. It felt unacceptable to speak without permission.

Our only possible source of entertainment was looking out the window and that option was blocked off by the charcoal black tinted windows. I was aware that our older brother wanted to keep our destination a secret, but this was too much. Most of us fell asleep from boredom. A few of us were smart enough to bring something to entertain themselves. A few of us meant Oliver, who had brought his book with him.

When we arrived to our mysterious destination, the chauffeur opened the door. Sunlight bursted in. The two hours of darkness and sleep seemed to have impaired my senses. I jerked back, from the blinding rays of sun, as though I was a vampire. Kaito mimicked my actions and rubbed his eyes. Oliver wasn't fazed at all. He had kept himself awake and busy. Piko, on the other hand was still fast light hadn't hit him yet.

Kaito, still drowsy, let out a yawn and gently shook the sleeping boy awake. Piko seemed confused as he opened his eyes. He was probably wondering why he was asleep next to three guys instead of his girlfriend.

"All awake?" Gakupo asked, when he turned around from the front. My older brother's presence was enough to shock us drowsy people back awake. We straightened up and obediently nodded. Gakupo smiled and gestured for us to come outside, as he got out of the car himself. I scrambled forward and jumped out of the car, entering a beautiful rural others did the same. We stood in a military formation.

Gakupo sighed as he watched us, "You don't need to be so stiff. You can relax. I promise I won't bite you."

We continued standing in our rightful position.

"I'm serious," my older brother said.

We blinked and listened to my brothers previous demand. It didn't feel right to do as I pleased in front of him. That was definitely not a good thing and Gakupo seemed to notice that.

"The reason I brought you here today is so you could all relax and enjoy yourselves, before the competition gets serious," Gakupo said. "No one was there to help me when the contest was happening. I'm willing to help you. Please ask me if you need anything?"

My jaw dropped, as my brother explained his intention. Was he serious? I pressed my lips together, as I thought of what I knew about my information that I knew about him was limited. I thought about Code Agent Kaito. The memories with him were overflowing.

I wondered what my older brother's actual smile even looked like. I glanced at Gakupo who watched us curiously.

"Thank you," I said bowing, not out of respect, but gratitude. If our brother was trying to get closer to us for the first time, I wasn't going to reject his kindness. The group stared at me with surprise. My outburst must have startled them.

I looked up. Gakupo seemed surprised as well. His eyes turned warm. "Stand up, Len. There's no need to bow."

I stood up straight. "Thanks for the opportunity, Gakupo." I repeated.

My purple haired brother gave me another one of his polite smiles. "Go enjoy yourselves," he said, shooing us away from the car.

"Yeah. We will." I stated, heading off to enjoy myself in the old farm, where Gakupo had brought us too


	10. Memories Made

**Hello! Here's another chapter for Contests! **

**IMPORTANT**

**I ran into a problem when creating a poll and I realized that I could only create one. So from now on I will just list the pairs and your allowed to chose two ships. PLEASE choose JUST one for Len and one for Kaito. Thank you to everyone who voted~ Please continue to vote! :)**

**REVIEWS**

**As always, I want to thank everyone who has favorited and followed this story. You're support really encourages me to write. Thank you~**

**Special thanks to: Naeme**

Neame: Yep! The story will be somewhat interactive and more...contesty... The four top choices will be given favor. From next chapter, I'll be actually implementing the choices. Of course, I will change it around time to time to make the story more interesting and who knows, change y'alls minds? Thanks for favoriting and following it! I appreciate it it a ton! I hope you continue to enjoy the story

* * *

It was a warm summer day when I first went outside of the castle. I had pleaded with my mother to spend some time away somewhere far off. Prior to my visit to the world outside, I had only been able to view it through the windows, balconies, and photographs. My mother was quite hesitant at first. She had told me that the outside world was dangerous and that I wasn't prepared for it. Still, I persisted on with my demand.

To me, the world looked absolutely beautiful. I yearned to go to the places that the pictures showed. They were places to explore and I deeply wanted to explore every nook and cranny that they held.

"_Mama. Where are we going?" I asked giddily. _

_Lily Crypton smiled and poked my stomach. "Someone's eager," she chuckled._

_I giggled in response and shifted my position to see what was outside the window. We were finally going to go on a trip, because a painter in our castle wanted to see some new sights other than the city. Father had approved of the request. He wanted to make the castle more beautiful. My mother had somehow convinced him to let me and her go along on the small trip as well. I planned on thanking the painter later._

_I pressed my tiny hands against the windows of the car. We had passed the city and were going into a less populated area. Fields of wheat came into view. I searched through my mind to find some knowledge to identify the area. This area seemed rural.. "Are we in the country?" I asked. _

_My mother looked surprised for a moment. Then, the corners of her lips quirked into a smile. "My little angel is an intelligent one," she said, kissing my forehead. _

_I beamed at the compliment. Being praised by her was my greatest joy._

_The rest of the car ride was silent. I busied myself by gazing outside the window. The things that passed by the windows looked unbelievable. If the car were to stop, I could get out and touch them. The thought made me feel even more excited to be traveling somewhere._

_Once we reached at what looked like a farm, the car slowed down. It was less-well kept than I had expected to see. I had imagined a bright red barn with blinding white stripes painted across it as the picture had shown. Instead, I saw a shabby wooden shack. Its paint was fading and sounds of animals were coming from it. _

_When the car came to a stop, I turned my head to the house. It looked better than the barn, but it was tiny. The house was probably the size of fathers study. I blinked, confused at the sight. I hadn't expected this._

"_C'mon, Len," My mother called. She was getting out of the car with the help of the chauffeur. I followed after her. _

_The ground beneath my feet sunk ever so slightly when I jumped onto it. I looked down. A small layer of brown stained the bottoms of my boots. I stomped around a bit more. The ground was soft under my feet. Every step I took let an imprint onto the earth. I smiled as I continued to play around in it. It felt very different from the familiar hard polished floor of the castle. _

_My mother chuckled at my fascination. "Shall we explore?" she asked, offering me her hand._

_I nodded eagerly and took it, trying to anticipate what I would see next. I looked at the farm once more. It may have not been what I had imagined, but it was still enchanting._

_My mother lead me along a dirt pathway towards the house. A little girl popped out of the house struggling to carry a bucket of grain and seeds. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of us. She dropped the bucket and ran back into the house. _

_Moments later, more people followed out of the house. A women with short black hair smiled and bowed as she saw us. "Welcome your majesty. I'm Lola. I'm sorry we weren't outside to greet you both. We weren't expecting you two this early," she said, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. _

_A blonde man who must have been her husband mimicked her actions, but stood with his hands behind his back politely. He gave a warm smile, "I'm Leon. We hope you enjoy your stay here." _

_I looked at the two adults. They seemed to be nice and genuine. The woman caught me staring and shot me a smile. She was pretty, just like my own mother._

_My mother shook her head and apologized, "It's not your fault. We should have informed you earlier." _

_The man and woman looked at each other before giving a thank you and a smile to my mother._

_My mother squatted down to my height and smiled. "Are these your children?" she asked, pointing to the girl who dropped the grain. The girl was hiding behind the women's legs. A boy, who looked older than her, stood by her other side. _

_Lola glanced down and ruffled the heads of her children. The look that she gave the two were warm and full of pride. "Yes. These are my two lovely tykes." _

_My mother nudged my shoulder lightly. "Can you promise to take care of my son here?" she asked gently, while holding out her pinkie._

_The older brother analyzed me for a moment before nodding curtly to my mother. "I promise." He locked the promise with his pinkie. I watched the exchange, slightly confused. Why were they promising my safety? _

_I glanced at the boy. He seemed like he could be trusted. After all, my mother made a promise with him._

_The older boy caught me staring and offered me a smile. He held out his hand to shake,"I'm Rinto. Nice to meet you, Prince Len."_

_I hesitantly shook it and gave him a small smile back, "Nice to meet you as well."_

"_You don't need to be so formal," Rinto laughed. _

"_Is that so…" I said, glancing at my mother for approval. She gave her consent._

_I looked back at Rinto. "I mean, alright!" I corrected._

_He gave me a smile. "Better." _

_I smiled back. It felt weird to speak in an informal manner, but it felt oddly nice. _

"_This is Rin, my little sister." he introduced, gesturing to the girl who hid behind him. Rin clutched Rinto's shirt, as she peaked over at us for a moment. _

"_Nice to meet you," she said shyly. Her voice was quiet. I couldn't help think that it was kind of cute._

"_Why don't you kids go play?" Lola suggested. _

_I glanced at my mother again. I felt nervous to be in a new environment with strangers. They seemed nice, but were these people actually trustable? "That sounds like a good idea." she said. She pushed me forward. "Have fun Len. Be safe."_

_I slowly walked over to the siblings. Rinto smiled, as he saw me walk over to them. Paranoid thought of him being an enemy spy entered my mind. I quickly pushed them away. I had truly spent too long isolated in the nursery. If my mother had trusted them, then I could trust these people too. Honestly, I was more nervous than scared. Shy would be a better word. _

_The older boy looked at his sister with a warm smile, "Do you want to give the prince a tour, Rin?" _

_The little girl bit her lip and slowly nodded. Rinto's smile widened and he turned his attention towards me, "Is that alright with you, Prince Len?" _

_I nodded. A part of me had been aching to explore this place since we had arrived. Rinto grinned and clapped his hands together, "Awesome." _

_Rinto looked around the farm. His gaze stopped when it reached the barn. "Shall we meet some animals?" he asked. His little sister brightened up at the mention of the creatures inside. I was excited too. _

"_What animals have you seen in the castle, Prince Len?" Rinto asked casually as we were walking to the barn._

"_Horses," I said. Father had gotten me a baby horse named Artemis to practice riding on. I really like playing with her. "I really love them," I added._

"_They're really cool," he agreed._

_Rinto opened the door and gestured for me to go in. I stepped through the door hesitantly. A variety of animals suddenly greeted me. I took a step back and jerked my hand back in surprise, as they licked me. The animals followed me. I took another step back. I wasn't used to this. I felt a little scared. What if they bit? My feet lost their balance and I fell backwards. The animals continued to flock towards me._

_Rinto's eyes widened in alarm and he tried to get to my side, but the animals were blocking his path. I started giggling as their tongues started to brush my neck. It tickled. I squirmed and started laughing as more and more animals did so. _

_Rinto pulled me out of the crowd of animals and offered me a towel. He seemed concerned, "I'm so sorry, Prince Len! I should have warned you that the barn was a bit of a messy place. Usually the animals are kept in stables." He quickly glanced at Rin, who seemed guilty. Was something wrong? "I..let them out so they could move around a bit. The animals only did that because they like you," he apologized. He seemed scared. I wondered why._

"_It's alright," I said smiling. I hadn't gotten hurt from the fall. I didn't understand why he seemed so worried. It was probably because he wanted to keep the promise to my mother. "They were only playing, right?" I asked while wiping my face with the towel. It was wet from amount of licks I received._

_Rinto nodded. His expression still showed a little worry, "Yeah." _

_I smiled, feeling proud that the creatures liked me. I watched as Rin left her brothers side. She scurried out of the barn. I watched curiously after her. I was tempted to follow, but it would be rude leaving Rinto, when he was showing me around. I listened to him as he started explaining what each animal was and what they liked. _

_Rin returned, once again carrying a bucket while Rinto was explaining how to milk a cow. The barn door creaked and broke his concentration. He glanced at his little sister and the bucket. I assumed he put the two together. Rinto walked over and helped her with the bucket. "Didn't get to feed some of our friends, huh?" he asked, as carried it to the center of the building. _

_She nodded, looking ashamed. Rinto laughed and ruffled his little sister's hair. He looked his blue plastic watch,"It's alright. It's still lunchtime." She pouted and brushed her hair with her fingers to return it to its former shape. Rinto set the large bucket of feed down and started feeding a few of the animals. Rin was next to him, diligently doing her work. I walked over and watched the two of them._

_Rin glanced at me for a second, before pouring some feed in my hand. "Try feeding some," she said. _

_I was surprised that she spoke. She had been so quiet this whole time. "Hold out your hand. Don't keep it so close to your body," she instructed in the quiet voice of hers. _

_I did as I was told. A white baby lamb walked up to me and started to eat. I froze as it made contact since I was afraid that it would hurt. However, it felt the same as earlier. It tickled a bit and I let out a giggle. _

"_Cool, isn't it?" Rinto commented, leaning forward._

_I nodded, "Mhmm!" _

"_Want to pet her?" Rinto asked. He seemed to sense that I liked this one. _

"_C-can I?" I asked delighted._

_Rin blinked in surprise. "You really want to?" _

_I answered with an eager nod. _

_She gazed at me for a minute before allowing her doubt to melt into a warm genuine smile, "I'll help then."_

_My cheeks flushed a light pink. She had a really great smile. Rin grabbed my arm and placed it on the lamb's back. It's wool felt warm and soft to the touch. I brushed across it's back. "It soft!" I commented. _

_Rin giggled at my fascination. Rinto watched with a smile. I wondered why I was so nervous to meet these siblings. This family was definitely nice. _

_The lamb brushed it's head against me and cuddled into my side, causing me to let out a few laughs. _

"_She really likes you, Prince Len," Rin said. "She doesn't usually get along with strangers that well." _

_I smiled and continued playing with my newly made animal friend. Rin joined in on the fun with us, while Rinto took over the job of feeding the other animals._

_He came over to us when he was finished. "Want to see some more things?" he asked. "If you want to continue hanging out with the animals, that's fine as well." _

_I didn't want to leave the animals in the barn, but a greater part of me wanted to look around. "Can we come back here if we finish early?" I asked._

"_Course," Rinto answered. _

_He started leading the way, once again. Rin and I followed after him. We passed a few animals grazing in the fields. I giddily ran over to the horses. A reddish-brown horse was the closest to the fence, that bordered the field. The siblings walked horse perked up and trotted over when it caught sight of us. _

"_That's Whisp. She's Rin's horse." Rinto said. "Those two are usually inseparable."_

"_Whispy!" Rin greeted as the horse bowed its head over the fence. Rin nuzzled it's nose affectionately. _

"_Inseparable," Rinto repeated, watching his little sister pet Whisp. _

"_How old is she?" I asked. _

"_Whisp is a male," Rin corrected. "And he's six."_

_I nodded, feeling a little stupid. I should have asked what gender the horse was first. "Oh…" I said, awkwardly._

"_How old is your horse Artemis?" Rinto asked, quickly making the growing awkwardness disappear._

"_Artemis is 3 years old," I stated. _

"_You haven't ridden her much, yet. Am I right?" He asked. _

_I nodded, "Father says that I should first be familiar with Artemis. I'll be able to ride her when I'm seven." _

"_You're five now, right?" Rinto asked. I nodded feeling quite proud. Every year, more people stopped treating me like a little kid. It got annoying sometimes. I wanted to do things with my older brothers and our mother and father._

_Rin looked interested in hearing this, "When's your birthday?"_

"_December 27th," I answered. _

"_Mine too," she said slowly. We looked at Rinto who seemed to already know. _

"_It's funny, because you both look really similar too. Almost like twins," he remarked. _

_I frowned, not truly seeing what he meant. Rin was a girl. I was a boy. According to my teacher, genetics didn't work out like that. Was he wrong? I decided to ask him later about it. I tried imagining myself in pigtails and a dress and shuddered at the image. No. Just no. _

_The rest of the day went by quick. Rinto and Rin had taken me on the rest of the tour of the farm. It reminded me of the garden that we had back at home. It was one of my favorite places to be. _

_I noticed that Rin stayed in a bright mood throughout the walk. It was clear that this family loved their place. Whenever they spoke, I could hear the pride in their voice. _

_The remainder of the time was spent on playing random games and talking. It felt amazing to run as fast as I could or say whatever I want without being harshly judged. I was still young in the eyes of the nobles and officials, so my father had constantly reminded me that my actions reflected on their parenting. If I did something wrong, it would be bad for our whole family and kingdom. _

_As we were relaxing by the stream next to the barn, I looked around. My mother was having a chat with the siblings' parents. She seemed to be enjoying herself, which made me happy. I continued watching the parents converse for a few seconds, until I lost interest. _

_My eyes snapped to the guards who had accompanied us to the area. They were resting next to the barn, laughing and talking. One of them caught my attention. The man was sitting on a pile of hay. He let out a puff of smoke from his mouth. His eyes looked scary; he seemed irritated. He turned towards my direction and sent a glare. I backed away, thinking that it was sent towards me. _

_Then, I wondered why he wasn't looking directly at me. I realized that the glare wasn't sent towards me, but towards Rinto and Rin. I continued to observe the man. I felt uncomfortable that he directed that much hate for them. Did they brush him in the wrong way? If so, how? They were with me the whole day. I hadn't seen them do anything bad. Did he? The guard saw me looking and washed his look of disgust away with a smile. I forced myself to smile back. I continued smiling, when he blew a puff of smoke from his cigarette, though I internally cringed. A few minutes later, my mother called my name. I obediently went to her side. "We have to go," she said, looking at her watch. _

_I frowned. I didn't want to leave just yet. Today's experience was one like no other. I felt somewhat free for the first time. "Do we we have to?" I asked, hoping that we could stay for another hour. _

_My mother noticed my expression and laughed lightly, "Looks like someone had fun today." _

_I nodded and looked down, sad that it was time to leave already. Who knew when I would get another chance to visit? My mother's expression softened, "We'll visit again, then. Is that alright with you, sweety? We'll come back another day."_

_My head snapped up, "Really?!" _

_She chuckled, "Yeah. Of course." _

_My mother turned to the siblings parents, "Thank you for having us." _

_Lola smiled, "Thank you for coming." _

_The car pulled up next to us and the chauffeur got out and opened the door for us to go in. I took one last glance at the place. I tried to catch the brilliant orangey-yellow sky with pink cotton candy-like clouds scattered across it. I swept a glance across the acres of green and golden fields of crop. Finally, I looked at the two siblings, who looked unhappy to see me leave. I didn't want to admit it outloud, but I felt happy to see that._

"_Len!" Rin called as I was about to enter the car. I stopped and turned around. The girl placed a small apple-shaped pin in my hands. 'Golden Orchard' was engraved onto it's surface. I looked up, confused. _

"_It's the name of our farm. In case you ever forget," Rinto explained._

"_Promise to come back, okay?" Rin asked, holding out her pinkie. _

_I smiled and nodded eagerly. "Yeah. I promise!" I said, locking her pinkie with mine._

"_Sweety, we need to go now." My mom insisted, from inside the car._

"_Coming!" I called, climbing into the vehicle. The chauffeur closed the door behind me. I waved a goodbye through the window. The family waved back and the car started to leave the area. I watched the other cars fill up with guards. The painter was there as well. He had been by his acrylics all day. I was eager to see his painting when we arrived home. It'd be hung in the gallery. _


End file.
